


Voltron: Legendary Apocalypse - Season 2

by RatthewHolt



Series: Voltron: Legendary Apocalypse [2]
Category: The Walking Dead (Comics), Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst, Bisexual Pidge | Katie Holt, Blood and Gore, Explicit Language, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gay Adam (Voltron), Gay Keith (Voltron), Gay Shiro (Voltron), Gen, Hunk’s mom is the same case, Lesbian Allura (Voltron), Lesbian Romelle (Voltron), M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mild Sexual Content, Minor Character Death, Multi, Other, Pansexual Character, Pidge | Katie Holt is Savage, Sam only appears via flashbacks and photos, Smut, Team Bonding, The Walking Dead AU, Triggers, relationships are not the main focus of the story, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:54:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 98,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22862842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RatthewHolt/pseuds/RatthewHolt
Summary: After the death of her father, Pidge begins to work with her friends to lead their group to a place where they can finally live, and try to forget all the bad that has happened to her.But living always comes at a cost.
Relationships: Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Allura & Hunk & Keith & Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt & Shiro, Allura & Pidge | Katie Holt, Allura & Romelle (Voltron), Allura/Romelle (Voltron), Colleen Holt & Matt Holt, Colleen Holt & Pidge | Katie Holt, Hunk & Keith & Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt & Shiro & Original Character(s), Hunk & Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt, Hunk & Pidge | Katie Holt, Hunk/Pidge | Katie Holt, Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt, Lance (Voltron)/Original Female Character(s), Lotor (Voltron)/Original Character(s), Matt Holt & Pidge | Katie Holt, Ryan Kinkade/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Voltron: Legendary Apocalypse [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1429453
Comments: 18
Kudos: 27





	1. A Branch on a Tree

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Note: At the beginning of certain chapters in the first book, I put small warnings of events that may be triggering to some people. However, beginning with this book and the ones to follow, I won’t be doing that, instead falling back on “chose not to use archive warnings” (aside from the obvious violence and death warnings). This means that this story MAY contain triggering topics such as:
> 
> Suicide, Non-consensual sexual acts, physical or mental abuse, racism, etc.
> 
> PLEASE read at your own discretion, and thank you for choosing to read my emotional roller coaster of a series. :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bryan and Lorenzo’s world gets a whole lot bigger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Lorenzo is the human version of Lotor. :)

A walker snarled and clawed at the base of a tree, staring up at something. Its hand was outstretched into the air, when a knife was flung from above it and embedded itself directly in the walker's eye. The corpse fell flat back onto the forest ground.

"Bullseye!"

"Fine, you won. When we go home I owe you half of tonight's dinner rations."

Two teens sat on a low standing tree branch, their legs swinging aimlessly as they stared into the vast, empty forest.

"I wish there were more people around..." The teen with glasses mumbled.

"That can be a dangerous thing to wish, Bryan." The first one replied.

"More good people, then." Bryan sighed.

"Well... I guess I can agree with that. But am I not enough for you at the moment?" The first teen teased as he leaned in and gave Bryan a quick peck on the cheek.

"Yes, yes, you're not just enough. You're perfect, Lorenzo." Bryan smiled back.

The air between them both was silent, until Lorenzo looked back at his partner.

"Why don't you like being back at home?" He asked.

"Do you really have to ask that? Surprised you don't know the answer." Bryan muttered.

Lorenzo's shoulders deflated. "Right... Sorry, dumb question."

"N-No, it wasn't dumb. It's just... I like our friends. Audrey, Max, Sam, Jace. They're cool, and I couldn't imagine living without them. And you, of course. Many others there are nice, too, yeah. Others not so much..." Bryan trailed off as their words seemed to get caught up in their throat. "I just want to go one night without having to listen to my parents scream at each other. Day and night, they go at each other, and the next morning it's like nothing even happened, and I'M the irrational one because I act uncomfortable around them?"

Lorenzo wrapped an arm around them as their voice raised.

"Don't even get me started on how my Dad treats... CERTAIN people. Ever notice how it's only you, Sam, and Jace in particular? Doesn't take a genius to tell you it's because he's a racist shitbag. On top of all of the hate stored in his closed off mind, he treats my identity like it's some edgy teenage phase thing that I'll just grow out of." Bryan's voice became quiet as they hung their head low.

"Who would've thought? Even in the end of the damn world I'm still getting shit for being non-binary." They shook their head in resigned annoyance.

"I know I've said this countless times, but Bryan, you mean the world to me. No matter what goes down, I'm always there with you. Our friends are, too. We have your back and we always will. Nothing will ever change that fact."

Bryan smiled, and blinked back the tears forming in their eyes. They placed their hand over Lorenzo's and nodded.

"Thank you. Really. Words can mean a lot to someone these days. I know they do for me."

Before their conversation could continue, a faint growl from further into the trees made them both perk up. Lorenzo then turned to Bryan and smiled.

"Looks like it's our lucky day." He jumped down from the tree branch, with Bryan following behind, climbing down the tree instead.

The two of them walked carefully and quietly through the forest, toward the source of the moans. Eventually, they spotted the walker making the noise ambling around a small abandoned car.

"You know how you want to learn how to properly kill these things, right?"

Bryan nodded.

Lorenzo reached into his waistband, and pulled out a gun. "Here's your chance to get more training in."

Bryan flinched and took a step back.

"N-Not with a gun. I can't- I can't use one." They shook their head, and pulled out the knife that they'd sheathed around the waist of their jeans. "A knife should be fine."

Bryan walked briskly past the trees they were using as cover. They approached the old and rusting car and felt along its rough exterior. The walker was about thirty feet away, and didn't notice them just yet.

Bryan took their knife, and hit it against the car in order to attract attention.

"H-Hey! Uh... Over here! Yeah, look at me! Dead... guy?" They taunted. The walker turned around and immediately became aggressive. Bryan silently cursed as they backtracked several steps.

"Shit... Shit... Okay, come on, you..." They muttered as their sweaty palms held the knife in a ready position. As the walker drew nearer, Bryan raised the knife and thrusted for a stab. They groaned as they missed, and ended up stabbing the walker in its neck.

"Dammit!" They hissed. They ripped the knife out and stabbed again, this time stabbing it sideways through its cheek, but it didn't quite make it to the brain.

"Oh, come on!" Bryan yelled as they finally yanked out the knife and drove it into the top of the walker's forehead. They panted heavily as they let the body collapse to the ground. Lorenzo walked up and pulled the knife out. Once he handed it back to Bryan, he clapped slowly.

"Well done. That's the least amount of stabs it's taken you so far." He commented.

Bryan rolled their eyes. "Don't give me shit about it."

"I'm not!" Lorenzo put his hands up. "It means you're getting better."

Another walker suddenly limped out from a thick group of bushes. Both teens took notice of it and touched their weapons.

"I can get-."

"No. I can." Lorenzo insisted. As the walker came close, Lorenzo pulled out the gun and shot it in the head.

"You don't have to always protect me. I handled myself just fine with the other biter." Bryan protested.

"You're still learning. There were about... seven different times while you were killing it where I nearly jumped in. You're getting better, BUT you still don't have it down yet." Lorenzo rebutted.

"Yeah, yeah..."

Lorenzo looked up at the sky, seeing the sun directly above them.

"We should get back. It's been almost three hours." He said.

"Right behind you, my fearless prince." Bryan smirked.

"Hey, if anyone's the  _ prinx _ , it's you. I'm like your knight in... no armor." He chuckled.

"Oh, just shut it and let's go!" Bryan laughed as they followed Lorenzo back to their home.

~~~~~

Bryan and Lorenzo walked down the middle of a street. After several minutes of walking, and turning down the correct roads, they approached a large wall, with a gate blocking the road ahead. A sign on the wall just to the right of the gate read, in big block letters 'Plaht City'.

"Home sweet home." Bryan grumbled. Lorenzo led them both around until they reached the corner where the front wall and one of the side walls met. They made sure the tree they used to climb up was still sturdy enough, before Lorenzo climbed up it first. Bryan followed shortly behind.

The two of them reached the branch level with the top of the side wall. Nobody could see them, since the tree was positioned just behind a house inside their community. Lorenzo outstretched one of his arms, and gripped the top of the wall super tight. Taking a deep breath, he let go of the tree and quickly grabbed the wall with his other hand.

"Come on, Bry. You next." He murmured, followed by him hoisting himself over to the other side and dropping down to the grass below. Bryan shook their hands and head to try and get rid of the anxiety that always crept into their mind when they did this.

They shifted along the branch to get as close to the wall as possible. In one motion, they hopped from the tree to the wall. They let out a distressed yelp as they clutched the top of the wall with all their strength.

"One good jump down. No different than before! You can do it!" Lorenzo encouraged.

Bryan looked down from their position atop the wall.

"Doesn't make it any easier." They said to themself. They held their breath as they rolled themself to one side and let their body slide down as they slowly let go of the wall. At last, Bryan touched down on the grass beside their boyfriend.

"Remind me why we don't just use the gate to come back inside again?" Bryan remarked sarcastically.

"Because your parents hate when people sneak out or leave without saying anything."

"Oh. Right."

The two of them walked side by side out from in between two houses. As they made their way onto the main street inside their community, they watched as several other inhabitants inside went about their daily activities. A dark skinned, familiar faced man approached them.

"Afternoon, Mr. Bowman." Lorenzo greeted.

"Please, call me George! Glad you're back. Don't worry, I helped cover for you." He winked. "Also, Jace told me to tell you two that when you got back to go find him and the others. They should be where you all normally meet up."

"Got it. Thanks... George." Bryan nodded.

George smiled. "Don't mention it. See you around."

Bryan and Lorenzo parted ways from George as they started making their way to their usual meet up spot with their friends. On their way there, they passed several others.

Two men, Victor and Eugene, were loading wood into the back of a truck as another man, Miles, sat in the driver's seat.

"Lift with your legs, man!" Victor shouted as Eugene faltered while loading a plank of wood.

"I am! It's just... heavy." Eugene groaned back.

"Oh, please. I'm old and gray and I can still move these just fine. Maybe if you had a little muscle on your bones this would be different."

Bryan stifled a laugh as they passed them. To their right, they watched as a woman named Annie arrived at a guard post to switch shifts with a man named Carter. Carter gave a nod of thanks to Annie as she climbed up the ladder leading up to the post.

"Hey, Carter." Bryan waved.

"Oh, hey you two!" Carter smiled. "Looking for someone?"

"Yeah, you seen our friends around here recently? Jace's dad told us they were in the usual spot, but usually they come and get us instead." Bryan asked.

"Ah, you were out again. That explains it."

"Explains what?" Lorenzo inquired.

"Guess George didn't find this out either, but only a few hours ago, your dad decided that the space where you guys usually hang is getting renovated into a church. Construction is scheduled to begin tomorrow, and the area's already been blocked off to everyone." Carter explained.

"You're  _ kidding _ me." Bryan deadpanned.

"I guess the religious nuts Mel and Freddie finally wore him down." Lorenzo joked.

"Sadly I am not kidding you. Although to answer your question, I believe I saw them go over there on the side of that house." Carter pointed to his right, toward a house near another corner of the community.

"Thanks, Carter!" Bryan waved as they and Lorenzo headed in that direction. Carter gave another smile and wave as he turned and walked away.

The two of them walked past a house, and Bryan increased their walking speed. In the window, Lorenzo spotted Bryan's parents; William and Deborah Robinson. He didn't say anything, and sped up after them.

They passed sisters Layla and Luna sitting on the steps of their house talking to one another. In a clear space just next to their house, they witnessed a man named John teaching a group of people how to use weapons.

"With this machete, you don't want to thrust it down into the bone. It gets stuck like that. One clean, fluid motion. Like so." John demonstrates by swinging the machete slower than normal, the same way you would to kill a walker. The group in front of him repeated his action numerous times as he assessed their performance.

"Keep a firm grip on the weapon, Kelsey. Good work, Levi. Andrés, you gotta be more direct with your strike. Hit your target with force. If it's a walker, a swing of that strength would leave you with another stuck machete and a bite wound on your neck. Try again." John commented on a few people in the group as he walked around.

They continued past, until finally reaching the house Carter had pointed out. They approached the side of it, but didn't hear any movement from the area.

"Are we sure this is the right house Carter meant?" Bryan asked.

"You tell me. He pointed over here, soooo..."

"Well maybe-."

"RAHHHH!!!"

"OHMYGOD!!" Bryan leaped back and nearly fell on their back, but Lorenzo caught them. A blonde girl with her hair back in a long ponytail stood in front of them, laughing hysterically.

"Very funny, Audrey." Bryan wiped some spit from their face.

"You're right," She nodded as she caught her breath from laughing, "it was very funny."

Lorenzo rolled his eyes as he helped Bryan regain their balance. Audrey turned and led them both around the side of the house, where three other teens sat. One was white with blond hair just shorter than his shoulders, and was a bit messy styled around his head. Another was a dark skinned girl with a shaved head on each side, and on the middle top of her head had dreadlocks that ran from the top down the back of her head. The last one was another dark skinned boy, with short, neatly cut black hair, even with a stylish curl and poof above his forehead.

"Hey guys. Did we miss anything?" Bryan asked as they took a seat beside the blond boy, Max. Lorenzo sat on their other side.

"Not much, really. Aside from your dad taking away our original hang out spot." The other girl, Sam, recalled, glaring to no one in particular at her last part.

"Guess your dad didn't hear about that either, Jace." Lorenzo chuckled. "He had us going all the wrong ways to find you guys."

"Oh, he probably knew, but just forgot. It's typical of him." Jace shrugged.

"So, anyway, let's hear what you guys did outside the walls. Any riveting tales of fierce battles among biters?" Audrey's eyes were practically twinkling with excitement.

"...Audrey. Calm down." Sam swatted her shoulder.

"Did you see any biters out there? I really have only ever seen them back at the start, before me and my family even got here." Max said.

"We saw a few. Lorenzo killed them all. Well, I killed one, actually, heh." The other four teens looked at them in surprise.

"Look at you, you're becoming a regular survivor, aren't you?" Sam joked.

"Man, I've never even had to kill one..." Max murmured. "What's it like?"

"Well... it's kinda difficult at first. It only took me three stabs this time... compared to my first time. That was a train wreck. You kinda just have to stand your ground, and make sure you stab firmly."

"You used a knife? I don't think I could ever bring myself to get that up close with one of them. Not after who they..." Max trailed off, cringing to himself for bringing it up.

Bryan placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Max. I know it's hard. I can't even imagine what losing a parent is like, let alone  _ both _ of them."

"At least they died to help this place. To give me the chance to live a good life. That's what I remind myself every time I think of them." Max nodded.

"That's a nice way to think of it." Jace cut in. "I lost my mom to biters, too. I understand how you feel." He smiled.

"Oh, hey, speaking of weapons. Look what I was able to snatch from the armory earlier today." Lorenzo winked as he slipped out the gun he had used a little earlier. Everyone's eyes bulged as they saw it.

"Woah! How did you manage to sneak that past Mr. Robinson?!" Audrey cried.

"Easy. I snuck in through a window and left through it once I got this."

"And I thought I was the badass one." Sam put her hands in the air.

"Don't sell yourself short. When that scavenging team found you last month, taking on that entire group of biters by yourself?  _ That _ is badass." Lorenzo replied.

"My dad was on that run, remember?" Jace suddenly spoke up.

"I do, actually, yeah. He was the first person to approach me. He was super kind about it, too." Sam agreed.

"I'm glad you turned out to be someone good. In my opinion, it's a lot harder to find people like that these days." Audrey said.

"I agree." Jace adds. "Sometimes, it feels like we're... the only ones left. Like there's no more good left for the world to give."

"That can't be true." Bryan shook their head. "Maybe we just haven't found them yet. Maybe they're hundreds or-or even thousands of miles away, but we can find them, if we just... look. There's still good in the world."

"Yeah. What Bry said." Max agreed. "The world probably just wants us to try."

"But at the same time, you have to ask yourself. Is trying really worth it? The good, or the bad, that will come out of what you do. Will it be worth whatever you went through? Whatever you lost along the way?" Lorenzo asked.

Bryan put a hand on his knee and stared deep into his eyes.

"Yes. I know it is." They whispered.

Lorenzo didn't reply for a moment, until he smiled. "I must admit... your optimism is quite refreshing."

"Not many people here have it." Sam scoffed.

"Ain't that the truth. With most people here it's like the pessimist olympics." Audrey stuck out her tongue to show her disgust, then she made a face to the others.

"Nobody can be upset when you're around, Audrey. I swear you bring a room's mood up all on your own." Jace said.

Audrey did a small bow of her head. "Thank you. I try my best."

Lorenzo then stood up from the ground. "I should go." He suddenly blurted.

"Why?" Bryan asked quickly, standing up next to him.

"I just remembered I'm still holding the gun that I very much stole from the armory. So now I need to return it before I get in huge trouble." Lorenzo informed in an obvious tone.

"I can come with you. Keep a lookout while you sneak back in." Sam offered.

"Sounds good. Better do this now."

Lorenzo and Sam turned and sprinted off toward the armory, staying behind the houses so they wouldn't be seen. Bryan watched their boyfriend disappear behind the houses and sighed.

"Do you think... you think that there's still more good left here? In the people around us?" Max turned to Bryan.

The latter didn't answer right away, instead they turned and stared off in the direction of their house, imagining their parents inside doing who knows what.

"If there is... then we still need to find it, too."

That night, Bryan was lying flat in their bed. Their eyes were glued to the ceiling as they thought about that day's events. They thought back to them killing that walker. Back to climbing over the wall. Back to sitting in the tree. Back to talking with their friends.

Bryan rolled over and stared out the window across the room, seeing the moon in the distance.

"We just have to find it." They whispered.

~~~~~

The next morning, Bryan was down inside the armory, located directly underneath their family's house. They rummaged through the guns, both large and small, as well as the knives and other various hand combat weapons.

They picked up a small revolver gun, and started to fiddle with it. Their hands were shaking a little as they held it like you would if you were ready to shoot. They put the gun back down with the others and nodded to themself.

"Yeah... I think I'm ready." They murmured. But before they could turn and leave, something else caught there eye in the room.

Hanging on the wall just above some of the guns, was an RPG rocket launcher. Bryan saw this and their mouth hung open wide.

"Woah..." They breathed as they slipped it off of the hook and into their arms. It was luckily unloaded, so they held it properly and pretended to shoot it. They chuckled to themself, and hung it back up on the wall. They were about to turn and leave for real this time, when a stern voice cut into their thoughts.

"WHAT are you doing down here?!"

Bryan whirled around, surprised.

"D-Dad! I was just-!"

"No excuses! Come with me, now." William grabbed Bryan by the arm and briskly led them out of the armory, and up the stairs to the outside.

"Let go of me! You're hurting my arm!" Bryan protested as William's grip grew tighter.

"You shouldn't be snooping down there by all of those extremely dangerous weapons!" He shouted.

"I was being careful!"

Just then, Bryan's mother rushed outside upon hearing the shouts. Lorenzo, Sam, Jace, Audrey, and Max also ran up when they heard their friend.

"Bill! What's going on?" Deborah exclaimed.

"I caught our son down in the armory, when he KNOWS he isn't supposed to be touching any guns." William glared at Bryan.

"The guns wouldn't be dangerous if you would let me learn to defend myself! Let me go to one of John's lessons! I haven't felt ready to use them because yeah, they looked scary, and still kind of do! But I am now, and I need to!" Bryan pleaded.

"No! You don't need to defend yourself when you're perfectly safe inside these walls." William declared.

"I don't do shit-!"

"Language!" Deborah glared.

"I don't do  _ crap _ inside these walls! I want something to DO!"

"Then go pick up knitting or something. You're not touching a weapon."

"That's not fair! I want to be able to fight for my family, just like you do! Like Mom does! I want... I want to be able to go out there and find people to take in. Make this place bigger, better, a place people want to be! Like-Like some beacon of hope in this crapsack world we're living in!" Bryan yelled.

"Absolutely NOT. I do not need my own son going outside the walls and getting himself killed because he's trying to be all sunshine and rainbows about the world. There are nothing but bad people out there. We're already having a conflict with one of these groups. You know what they've done to us. They've killed people we know. They killed Jenny. They killed Zach. I had to watch them die because of these ruthless bastards! I'm not letting it happen to anyone else. Especially my own son who was blinded by his own inaccurate view of the world." William started to step closer to Bryan.

"Excuse me, it's  _ they _ . Not  _ he _ ." Lorenzo stepped in between Bryan and William, a protective death glare on his face. William rolled his eyes and threw his hands in the air.

"Oh, my god... Are you seriously still on this 'non-binary' bullshit?" He cried.

"It's not bullshit. It's who I am." Bryan replied, their eyes averting to the ground.

"Yeah, sure. You're also still lucky I even let you talk to this ni-."

" _ Watch it... _ " Lorenzo cut him off before he can finish the very offensive statement.

"What other dumb as shit, delusional ideas has this...  _ person _ ... been planting in your head, huh?"

"Bill, just stop. Maybe Bry has a point. We should teach him some things about how to survive. And your racism is NOT helping." Deborah added.

"Stay out of this! You always take his side when this happens. I'M always the fuckin' bad guy!"

"THEIR side!" Lorenzo yelled.

"SHUT UP, boy!" William shoved Lorenzo back, and Sam kept him from falling over.

"BILL! ENOUGH!" Deborah screamed as she grabbed at his arm to pull him inside. Instead, William reached around and grabbed her by the shoulder and started to manhandle her around. Bryan's eyes widened, and they tried to intervene.

"G-Get your hands off her-!" They started to yell, when the back of William's hand hauled off and slapped them across the cheek. Bryan's ears began to ring as they stumbled back. Lorenzo was immediately at their side, and Deborah was continuing to scream at William, who was now yelling right back.

"YOU DON'T FUCKING SLAP HIM!!!"

"MAYBE IF HE WASN'T BEING A LITTLE ASSHOLE!!!"

"GET INSIDE! NOW!!!"

"Are you okay? Bry? Bry, talk to me." Lorenzo pleaded softly.

"I... I gotta go." Bryan turned and ran for the front gate. Lorenzo turned to look back at his friends, and the five of them chased after them, leaving behind Bryan's yelling parents.

Bryan sprinted to the front gate, tears on the verge of spilling from their eyes down their cheeks. They reached the exit to the main gate, spotting a woman standing guard at it, and a man on top of the guard post that overlooked the wall a few feet away.

"Sara, open the gate." Bryan ordered.

"Why?"

"Just do it!" They wiped away the wet drops that were escaping their eyes.

Sara put out her hands and slowly pulled open the gate. As soon as it was mostly open, Bryan started to speed walk out of the community.

"Bryan! Bry, stop!" Lorenzo suddenly called out. Bryan did stop, and turned to see Lorenzo and the others all run up beside them.

"Where the hell are you going?" Sam inquired.

"Away. Just... somewhere away. For a couple hours at least. I can't be around them when they go at it like that. It's too much." They explained.

"It's too dangerous to go out there alone." Jace insisted.

"Yeah, come back inside with us. We can go hang out and have some fun." Max suggested.

"We could find some games to play?" Sam added.

"Ooh! Luna told me she was working on making a dart board to put on the wall in her house. We could see if she's finished with it?" Audrey shrugged.

Bryan shook their head. "I can't... I told you, I c-can't!" They turned away and took a few steps out.

"Then I'm going with you." Lorenzo stated.

"Lorenzo, come on..." Max groaned. "It's too dangerous to just run off like this."

"We sneak out all the time, Max."

"You plan those times. Not this one." Sam reminded them.

"Then we'll be careful. You guys go back inside, and when Bry is ready, we'll come back. Okay?"

The other four nodded. A walker suddenly appeared from the woods on the other side of the community. No sooner did it step into the road, was it shot in the head.

The man on the guard post held his sniper rifle, aimed down at where the walker had been.

"You guys better get back in the walls! More are coming!" He called down to them.

"Sorry, Shawn! Will do!" Sam waved up to him, then turned to Lorenzo. "Good luck."

Sam, Jace, Max, and Audrey sprinted back inside through the gate, and Sara closed it. Lorenzo turned back to the frozen in place Bryan.

"Alright... let's go on a walk, then."

Lorenzo and Bryan walked side by side down the street and away from Plaht City.

Out in the woods, Lorenzo stabbed a walker in the head as he led Bryan through the trees.

"Please, Bry. Say something. Let me know you're holding up okay." Lorenzo begged as they walked together.

"...He's never hit me before. He's grabbed me, roughed me up a few times, like a shove or something. But he's never hit me. Not until now." Bryan looked at the leaves and branches crunching beneath their shoes as they spoke. "It's the worst feeling. It feels like everything you built up with that person is just... gone. Forever."

They stopped walking and looked up.

"How can you come back from that? How... H-How do you fix a relationship so broken? A relationship that's so far beyond repair?" They started to cry. The tears from earlier finally trickling down their face as Lorenzo rushed to their side and embraced them in a supportive hug.

"Hey, hey, hey... just listen to my voice. Don't worry about anything else. It's just the two of us, and nothing more. I'm here. You're here. He's not." Lorenzo did his best to comfort them. "Just take some deep breaths, take a moment to think about some things, and then we can head back. No matter what will go down in there, I will have your back, alright?"

Bryan pulled away from their embrace. They nodded and sniffled in response.

"Y-Yeah... That works. Let's just... take a minute?"

"Of course."

The two of them lean against a tree as they calmly rest in silence.

"I wanna thank you. For having my back already back there. And I'm sorry. For what my dad was about to... say."

"You don't have to apologize. That's not you. You're not him, and you're not responsible for his actions. He's a piece of shit. You? You are my entire world." Lorenzo smiled as he pulled Bryan in for a long kiss beneath the tree. After about six seconds, they pulled away.

"Wow... Lorenzo, that was-."

A gunshot suddenly hit the tree in between them. Bryan let out a scream, and Lorenzo grabbed them by the arm.

"RUN!" He yelled.

More gunshots went off as the two teens dashed through the forest. Bryan darted to the left as another bullet hit the tree just to the left of them as they ran.

"What the hell is going on?!" They whimpered.

"Looks like we ran into some unfriendly territory." Lorenzo growled as he pulled Bryan along. "Come on,  _ move! _ "

The two of them were nearly to a clearing, when Lorenzo suddenly tripped over a tree root, and tumbled to the ground.

"Lorenzo!" Bryan turned back to help him up.

"NO! Keep running! Don't let them get both of us!" He yelled. "Get home! Warn the others! NOW!"

As much as they wanted to stay, Bryan nodded in compliance. The couple shared one last longing look, before Bryan took off running in another direction.

As they ran, they heard shots in the distance. Their stomach dropped when they realized Lorenzo might be dead. Suddenly, Bryan ran out into a familiar location. The old and rusty car that they'd been by yesterday, when they killed that walker.

Only now, four walkers crowded the area.

"Shit... Lorenzo! Please!" Bryan cried as they shakily pulled out their knife. "C-Come get me you sons of bitches."

The first walker lunged at them, but Bryan quickly sidestepped, and when the walker ran into the side of the car, Bryan stabbed it through the back of the head twice, just to be sure.

They let the second walker grab at them, and once it did, they pulled it over to a tree, and rammed its head against the side. Luckily, in two hard smashes, the walker slumped to the ground, dead.

The third walker came at them only a few seconds later. Bryan ended up stabbing it in the chest at first, to keep it back. They pulled the knife out and kicked it away, then stabbed again. This time getting the shoulder. They let out a cry and drove the knife up through the walker's chin.

Suddenly, the final walker came from the side. Bryan's knife was knocked from their hands as it snapped its jaws and growled at them.

"No! No!! Lorenzo!" They screamed. "Help!!"

Their pleas were seemingly answered, when the walker was shot through the side of the head. Without looking to see who killed it, Bryan scooped their knife up from the ground and took off running. But they barely got twenty feet, when they were suddenly staring down the barrel of a gun.

Bryan froze in their tracks as a girl with glasses and short, light brown hair held her gun firmly in their face. She looked to be slightly younger than them.

"Hands up. Drop the knife before I shoot you." She commanded.

Bryan's eyes were wide. With trembling hands, they complied, and slowly set their knife back down in the dirt.

"Good. At least you've got common sense." She sneered. Three more people suddenly emerged from around the woods. There was another young woman, probably a few years older than them, with pure white hair. A boy with brown hair and with a rather attractive skin tone. Lastly, another teenage girl, with pale blonde hair and striking light blue eyes.

"Grace, hand me the rope." The girl in green with the gun in their face said, extending her hand to the blonde girl.

"Here you go." She replied. The lead girl held the rope in one hand, and looked up at her captive.

"Wh-What do you want with me? Where's Lorenzo? D-Did you kill him?" Bryan whimpered as four guns were still pointed at them. "Please... don't hurt me."

"We're not going to hurt you, just relax." The boy reassured.

"Shut up, Lance." The glasses girl hissed, then turned back to Bryan. "Listen to me, and listen to me good. We're going to tie your hands behind your back, and then you're going to be walking with us back to our camp. Try anything at all, and I'll drop you fucking dead where you stand. Understand?"

Bryan gulped and nodded frantically. "Y-Yes. Yes, I do."

They held still as the glasses girl lowered her gun, and moved around behind them. She roughly grabbed their hands, and within thirty seconds, they were tied snugly together behind them.

"Pidge, you don't have to be so rough with him." Grace huffed.

"Don't give me that shit, I don't care." Glasses girl, or Pidge, rolled her eyes. "Besides, today's our lucky day."

She walked back around Bryan, and stared into their eyes, a threatening smirk crossing her face.

"We just found ourselves a bargaining chip."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huh... looks like our familiar group is a turning out to be strangely hostile... wonder what could’ve caused that...


	2. Redwood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge finds the group a home. But are all new faces welcoming ones?

Bryan was led through the trees, the barrel of Pidge's gun pressed against the back of their head. Lance, Allura, and Grace all walked in a round formation around them.

Pidge glared daggers at the back of their head as she continued to push them forward.

**THEN: 1.5 MONTHS AGO**

Pidge aimed her gun and shot a walker in the head. Tens on tens of them were ambushing them from the trees across the street and even from the beach down below.

"Mom, get the kids into the RV, now!" Veronica yelled to Nancy from the doorway of the Holt family's vacation house. Nancy held Silvio and Nadia's hands in hers as she ran with them to the RV parked outside. Keith thrusted his sword through the skull of a walker on the side of the vehicle, then opened the door to let them get inside.

In the street, Marcus stabbed a walker in the head as Hunk shot down three with a rifle beside him. Marco was on top of the RV, sniping down at several walkers.

"They're everywhere! We can't hold out much longer!" He yelled down to the others.

Inside the house, Colleen, Veronica, Luis, Lance, Adam, and Jake were rushing around the house, packing as many supplies as they could find.

"Did you check the bedrooms?" Colleen asked.

"Yep!" Jake answered.

"Bathrooms?"

"Got 'em!" Adam called.

"Closets?"

"We have everything we need! Now all we have to do is go!" Lance exclaimed.

Rizavi grabbed a backpack, then turned to look out of the patio door. Her heart dropped when she saw tons of walkers crowding the beach.

"Shit, they're out back, too!" She cried.

"We'll handle them! Get the supplies to the cars!" Allura shouted. She, Romelle, Curtis, James, and Ryan raced outside. Before Ryan could make it out, Windy grabbed his arm.

"Be careful." She gave him a worried look.

Ryan smiled softly. "Don't worry, I always am. Get to the RV!" He lightly ushered her back toward the front, then ran outside to join the others.

Some walkers were almost on the patio deck already. Romelle kicked one back and let it fall back down the grassy hill leading to the beach.

"We have to clear at least most of them out. If not, they could get to the cars and overwhelm before we're ready to go." Allura instructed.

"Piece of cake, right?" Romelle shrugged with a small smirk.

"Guess we'll see." Allura replied.

Curtis and Ryan rushed down the slope, each of them slashing through a walker's head with their knives. Allura took one last look over at Romelle.

"You ready?"

Romelle paused, and quickly leaned in and pecked Allura on the cheek.

"Now I am." She winked. The two girls gripped their weapons with confidence and started approaching a cluster of walkers near the house on the other side of the patio.

Allura swung her machete into the side of one walker's head. Romelle leaped and stabbed a walker in the top of its skull, then ripped the knife out and slammed it down into the face of a second one.

On the beach, Curtis stabbed a walker in the temple and let the body fall to the ground. Matt approached a walker to Curtis' left and kicked it to the ground. He began to stab it in the head over and over again.

"Matt? Matt! What are you doing?!" Curtis shouted. Matt looked up from the mangled head of the walker.

"Was just making sure it was dead..." He panted, before he stood up once more and resumed fighting them.

Out in front of the house, Pidge shot two more walkers, and when she aimed for a third, her gun clicked. Growling, Pidge pulled out her knife. She swung it up through the walker's chin, then through the forehead of another, and the temple of a third. A fourth one snuck up on her from behind, but she shoved it off of her and down onto the concrete road. Pidge raised her shoe and proceeded to stomp the undead head in repeatedly.

"Pidge... PIDGE!!" Hunk's voice broke her trance, and she looked up at him as he grabbed her wrist.

"What?!" She yelled back over the gunfire.

"Look!" He pointed into the trees, where more clumps of walkers were piling out. "The noise is only drawing more, we can't be this far out, we have to get back!"

"We have to defend this place! I don't want it to go down!" She insisted, slashing a walker across the head.

"We can't save it! We... We have to leave it!"

Pidge looked at the walkers one last time, then turned and ran to a safer location with Hunk right beside her.

In the house, Nadia and Adam sprinted outside with the last of the supplies to load up. Bae Bae scampered out and jumped into the RV as Nadia opened the door. Colleen ran into the kitchen, as Lance grabbed his rifle and scanned the living room.

"Everyone else is outside! Come on, Mrs. Holt!" He cried. Colleen froze as she laid her eyes on a framed photo of her and Sam. Her breath caught in her throat, and she quickly snatched the photo and stuffed it into the nearly full sack of supplies.

"...I'm ready!" She called back.

"Go! I'll get the others out on the patio!" Lance nodded.

Colleen rushed off to the vehicles as Lance opened the patio door. He saw Allura, Romelle, Matt, Curtis, Jake, and Ryan taking on the beach walkers.

"Guys, come on! The cars are loaded, we gotta go!" He warned.

Curtis, Jake, Ryan, and Matt all ran back up the beach. A few walkers still remained shambling up toward them, but not as many as before.

Allura turned her head upon hearing the signal, but right as she did, a walker lunged at her from around the corner of the house.

"What the hell?! AAH!!" She yelled as the walker knocked her down. Allura landed sideways, and began to tumble down the grassy hill, until she finally stopped when she reached the beach.

"ALLURA!!" Romelle screamed in horror. She was about to run down and save her, when Ryan stopped her.

"Take this! Hurry!" Ryan handed her his pistol, and she took it graciously.

Allura lifted her head up groggily. The walker she had wrestled down the hill crawled toward her.

"Sh-Shit!" She exclaimed. She used her foot to bash the walker's head in as she scooted away. Half a dozen more began to crowd around her. She looked around for a gap to escape, but didn't see any.

Just then, a flurry of gunshots went off around her. The walkers around her fell dead as Romelle jumped down the hill. She tossed Allura her machete, then shot a few more of them approaching.

As Romelle pulled the trigger, she pictured Olivia back at the Garrison in her mind.

_"Go, you two. Get back to the others."_

Romelle shot another walker.

_"Mom, no-!"_

_"Yes, Hunk."_

Romelle pistol whipped another walker across the face. She blinked back the tears in her eyes as she ran back and helped Allura to stand.

"Are you okay? Are you okay?!" She asked as she checked her girlfriend for injuries.

"I'm fine... Just a little banged up." She panted. Allura pushed a walker away from the both of them, and Romelle wrapped an arm around Allura to help guide her back up the hill.

By the cars, Marco was still on top of the RV. He shot another walker from afar, before his rifle clicked as a signal he was out of ammo.

"I'm out!" He shouted.

On the side of the RV, Shiro used his metal arm to punch a walker in the face. Then he balled his fist and smashed the head against the side of the RV.

Marco climbed down the ladder of the RV as Luis bashed a walker's head in with a bat. Just then, Allura and Romelle came running around the side of the house.

"You guys okay?!" Keith asked in a hurry as he ushered them into the RV.

"We're fine! We gotta go!" Romelle cried.

"Don't have to tell us twice!" Adam agreed. He jumped into the RV's driver seat and leaned out of the window.

"Marcus! Nancy! You guys drive the cars! Everyone get in!" He ordered.

Marcus, Windy, Ryan, Jake, and Curtis got into one vehicle. Nancy, Luis, Silvio, Nadia, and Marco took another, while everyone else piled inside the RV. Some walkers began to bang on the sides of it as Adam started the engine. Keith leaned out of a back window and stabbed a walker that was below his window.

Adam stepped on the gas as hard as he could. The RV peeled out of the driveway, the other two cars following suit. Adam slammed into two walkers as he led the caravan down the road.

Pidge stared out the very back window, watching her family's vacation home fade into the background. Matt walked up beside her and wrapped an arm around her. The two embraced one another as they continued to watch until the house was gone from view.

Everyone sat around, panting after the long fight.

"So..." Keith coughed in between his sentence, "where to next?"

**FOUR DAYS LATER**

The RV slowed to a stop in front of a large house on the edge of a main road. It stood alone, with a small forest behind it. The two cars pulled up a second later.

Pidge disembarked the RV first. She stared up at the almost mansion sized house.

"Jeez, what old rich guy did this place belong to?" Rizavi joked. James elbowed her in the side.

"Doesn't matter now. Looks like it'll have multiple bedrooms. Maybe even some supplies inside." Adam pointed out.

"We should check if it's safe before we bring everyone inside." Shiro added.

Romelle immediately stepped forward. "I'll go. I can take Lance's rifle, and I'll holler if something happens."

Allura put a hand on her shoulder. "You're not going in there alone." She shook her head.

"We can't have multiple people risk their lives. Just one is better."

"It's not risking our lives. It's just... something we have to do now. Besides, more people means it'll be cleared faster, meaning we can have a shelter faster." Allura smiled. Romelle hung her head low and nodded.

"You're right... Yeah, you're right. But I'm still helping."

"Okay, that's me and Romelle. Any other volunteers?" Shiro spoke out.

"I'll do it." Colleen raised her hand.

"Yeah, same." Lance raised his, too.

Matt looked over at Pidge, who was sitting on a large rock while petting Bae Bae. He raised his hand.

"Me, too."

Romelle, Shiro, Colleen, Lance, and Matt one by one entered the house.

"Try to use your knives. We're getting low on ammo. Also we don't want every walker for miles to hear us." Shiro whispered.

"Gotcha." Romelle held a cleaver in her hand. The one Coran had used back at the camp they had in Prescott.

"Matt and I can search upstairs." Lance suggested.

"Good idea, Lance. Romelle and I can take downstairs. Colleen, will you be fine on the main floor alone?" Shiro asked.

Colleen nodded confidently. "Of course."

The five of them split up. Matt sped up the stairs as Lance lagged behind. Colleen kept a hand on the holster where her gun was, just in case as she slowly entered the living room.

Upstairs, Matt pushed open the first door on the right. He stormed inside of the room, holding his knife outward in case any walkers lunged from hidden nooks. Lance peeked inside the room.

"Looks clear." He murmured. Matt didn't say anything as he brushed past Lance and opened the door across from that room. This new room appeared to be a work room. A computer and desk was all that was inside it.

Matt continued this process until they were halfway down the hall. As Matt found the door to the master bedroom, Lance cleared his throat.

"Are you okay?"

Matt swung open the door. "Why wouldn't I be?" He huffed.

"I'm just... concerned, that's all."

Matt opened the closet inside the master bedroom. Nothing inside. "Alright. It's been almost two months since my dad's death and I still feel like it happened yesterday. I close my eyes at night and I hear the gunshot all over again. I hear his final words to me over and over and OVER in my head. I'm doing just peachy."

Matt stormed past him again. Instead of checking the door's handle, he kicked open the next one. A bathroom.

"I'm just worried, man. You've been more... distant. It's how I got for a short while after I had to watch my twin sister die in my arms. You're not the only one who's lost family. You have a shoulder to lean on if you need it." Lance took a step closer to Matt.

"Did you have to spend half a year trapped in a cage like some wild animal, unable to even reach your family? And then when you finally do, they're taken from you barely days later? I didn't think so!" Matt turned away and covered his mouth.

Instantly, he cringed and turned back to face Lance. "Shit... No... Shit, I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't be taking this out on you, I-!"

"It's alright. It's alright... Better verbal anger than... psychical." Lance trailed off as he pictured himself sticking his gun in Keith's face the morning after Rachel died.

"Still! I'm being an asshole right now. I'm not special. Hell, you've lost more family than me." Matt lowered his head out of guilt.

Lance fully approached Matt, tilted his head back up. "Hey. It's not a contest. You still lost someone. You lost family. It's going to take you time to process it, and everyone's ability to do that is different. No one is holding it against you. Alright?"

Matt sniffled, then nodded and managed a small smile. "Yeah. Yeah, alright." He chuckled dryly. Lance walked past him and entered the bathroom.

"You know, Pidge always talks about you." Matt suddenly continued. "You should know, I'm forever grateful for you and Hunk being in her corner. Even before... all of this."

Lance just gave him a smile and a nod. "No problem. That girl is a force of nature. We were lucky to get on her good side."

Both of them chuckled among themselves. Lance then looked into the mirror, and noticed hinges on the side.

"Looks like it's a medicine cabinet, too." Matt noted.

"Think we'll get lucky?" Lance inquired.

Matt shrugged his shoulders. Lance tilted his head, and opened up the mirror cabinet door.

"Hot damn..." Matt breathed out.

A nearly fully stocked cabinet of medical supplies; painkillers, hydrogen peroxide, other pills, a needle and thread, and bandages.

"Guess we did get lucky." Lance smiled.

On the main level, Colleen made her way into the kitchen of the house. She inspected the cupboards and drawers, finding no food. She opened the refrigerator and immediately shut it again. She gagged at the smell of rotting food inside it.

"Oh, jeez..." She coughed. Once she recovered, she noticed that off to the left, there was a sliding door leading to the backyard of the house. The door was open. Colleen approached the door, and noticed some splotches of blood on the floor leading into the house.

"Shit..." She muttered.

Colleen held her knife in a ready position as she walked back into the kitchen. Suddenly, a walker shambled into the kitchen from behind her. Colleen heard the growl and swung around. Instantly she stabbed it in the side of the head. But then a second one followed behind it. Colleen went to pull out her knife, but she found it to be stuck too deep inside.

"Ggrrrrhh! Dammit!" She grunted. She let go of the knife and started to struggle with the walker. She kicked it backwards, and used the kitchen island as a barrier to buy her some time. Frantically throwing open drawers, Colleen looked for an alternative weapon. At last her eyes fell on something in the back of a lower cabinet. A frying pan.

Colleen grabbed it by the handle and brought it out of the cabinet, just as the walker figured out its way around the island. Colleen stood and smacked it across the face. The walker stumbled back, but didn't die.

"Shit!" The walker grabbed at Colleen's arms as she hit it some more. "I need some help! Help!" She yelled out.

"Mom?!" She heard Matt shout from upstairs, then the thunder of footsteps.

At last, Colleen kicked the walker back again, and raised the pan in the air. She brought it down right over the walker's head. The first hit sent it to the ground, and she beat it down with five to six extra hits. Lance and Matt ran into the kitchen just as Colleen smashed its head in one last time.

Panting heavily, she stood up and faced the two of them. Blood, skin, and brain matter were splattered all over the pan in her hands.

"Scrambled eggs, anyone?" She let out a sarcastic laugh.

"Are you okay, Mom?" Matt asked.

"I'm good, everything's fine. You guys find anything upstairs?"

Lance pointed behind him at the stairs. "Only a medicine cabinet with a ton of medical supplies still inside." He smirked.

"That's not all."

The three of them turned around to see Shiro and Romelle walking up behind them. Romelle is carrying a small plastic container. Inside of it are half a dozen large cans of beans and fruit.

"Son of a bitch." Lance grinned.

That evening, everyone is sitting in the living room of the house. A few candles make up the light sources around them. Many of them were talking and even laughing as they shared food rations.

Pidge used a fork to take a sliced piece of a peach from one of the cans of fruit. She relished the taste of it. Fruit was something hard to come by in terms of food, especially while being on the road.

"Pass me the fruit?" Hunk asked.

Pidge slipped the fork from her mouth and handed it and the can to Hunk. He stabbed it inside and managed to pull out a strawberry.

"Ooh! I love strawberries!" He gushed, before popping it into his mouth. Hunk passed the fruit can over to Ryan on his other side.

In the middle of them all, there was a small controlled fire, in which Marco was using to cook the last of a rabbit he'd killed a few days back.

"Rabbit's done, everyone! Anyone want some?" The group let out a few small cheers as he announced it. Adam held out a paper plate, and Marco put a portion of the rabbit on it. Keith also took some for himself. Allura took a share, and tore it in half, putting one half on Romelle's plate.

"For finding the food today." She smiled.

Romelle's cheeks dusted a shade of pink, and the two shared a kiss on the lips. Similarly, Adam gave part of his rabbit to Shiro and gave him a kiss as well.

"Thanks for part of this meal, babe." Adam said, taking a spoonful of chili beans from the can of them. He passed in on to James.

Shiro rolled his eyes modestly. "It wasn't that big of a deal..."

"'Course it was. You're helping us survive."

Shiro smirked. "Guess that means you owe me." He joked.

Adam leaned in and kissed him deeply on the lips. Shiro was pleasantly surprised, and leaned in a second later. When they pulled away, Adam chuckled awkwardly.

"Payment received." Shiro winked.

Beside them, Keith took a bite of his rabbit meat. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw James take a notably smaller spoonful of chili beans. After he only took one, he handed the can to Keith.

"Hey. You barely took anything, man." Keith spoke up.

James looked down. "Others gotta eat too. Silvio and Nadia need the food more than me."

Keith glanced between his plate of rabbit and James. A second later, he placed the plate in James' lap.

"I can't eat your food, Kogane."

"It's yours now. I'm okay." Keith took a spoonful of beans to prove it.

James and Keith held eye contact for a little while longer, then James took a bite of the rabbit.

"Hey, it's getting a little darker outside." Rizavi informed as she looked out of one of the windows. Shiro followed her gaze.

"You're right. Someone should take watch for a couple hours." Shiro decided.

"I'll do it." Romelle immediately stood up. "Lance, can I borrow your rifle?"

"Uh, sure, yeah. It only has half a magazine left, though." He explained.

"Should be fine. I'll only use it if I spot anyone not undead." Romelle grabbed Lance's rifle that was propped up by a fireplace, and headed for the front of the house.

"Romelle, wait!" Allura was behind her just as they got to the doorway. Romelle turned to face her girlfriend.

"You don't have to do this by yourself. I'll sit with you." She offered.

"No, it's-it's okay. You should go be with the others. Enjoy yourselves. I'll switch off with someone else in a few hours, I promise. Just... let me do this. I... I have to."

Allura was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Alright... It's getting darker, just be safe. I... I love you."

"I love you, too."

Allura slowly walked back inside of the house as Romelle took a seat on the top step of the porch, Lance's rifle in her hands.

~~~~~

A couple of hours later, the sun had set and it was nearly pitch black outside. Marco's small fire was still going, albeit much smaller now.

Romelle walked inside, and Allura's face lit up upon seeing her.

"Hey! See anything suspicious out there?" Allura asked in a lighthearted manner.

"Just some dead friends. I didn't engage, though. They didn't seem to notice the house at all. Jake's taking watch now." Romelle revealed.

"I'm glad you're not gonna be out there all night." Allura sighed. "Hey, come on, let's find a place to sleep." Allura took Romelle by the hand and led her into the living room of the house.

There they saw a few of their group getting ready to sleep. Curtis and Marcus came downstairs, carrying more blankets and spare pillows. Colleen and Matt walked past the two of them.

"Where are you two going?" Allura questioned.

"We're gonna take the RV's pullout bed. Someone's gotta watch the cars." Colleen proposed.

"What's Pidge doing? Is she staying with you?" Romelle wondered.

"Nah, she wanted to, but we told her she should stay in the house. It's warmer in here after all." Matt said.

"I understand. And hey, just yell for us if something goes wrong."

Colleen and Matt both nodded, and walked outside. Colleen then turned back around suddenly.

"Oh! I almost forgot to mention! There's still one open bedroom left if you two want to use it." With that said, Colleen followed her son outside.

Romelle and Allura looked at each other, eyes twinkling.

"A REAL bed..." Allura marveled.

"Come on, let's go!" Romelle gushed. The two of them immediately raced upstairs.

Upstairs, Allura and Romelle passed by Pidge, Hunk, and Bae Bae, who were setting up a pillow and blankets for themselves in the hall.

"You gonna be warm enough?" Hunk asked worriedly.

Pidge nodded. "I'll be fine. I've got tough skin. I bite the cold back."

Hunk chuckled. "That's very on-brand of you."

The two of them pulled themselves beneath their respective blankets at the end of the hallway. Bae Bae crawled in between them and circled, until she plopped herself beside their heads.

A few hours later, the house was quiet. In the living room, Ryan and Windy cuddled underneath their shared blanket. Ryan wrapped his arms over Windy's body and held her close to him.

Luis slept nearby, with Silvio and Nadia on either side of him. The two kids were fast asleep, while Luis was still awake. He stared up at the ceiling.

Keith was sprawled out on one of the intact couches. He rolled over in his sleep and groaned. At the foot of the couch, James slept peacefully under a blanket.

Nadia Rizavi, Curtis, Veronica, Marcus, and Marco were all spread out around the house as well. Nadia had managed to find a small guest room and silently claimed it for herself.

Out in the RV, Colleen and Matt were laying side by side. Both of them thought the other was asleep.

"Mom?" Matt suddenly mumbled.

The RV was silent after that, until Colleen breathed in.

"Yeah, honey?"

"...I miss Dad." Matt's voice broke as he said those words.

Colleen rolled over and embraced Matt. Her eyes were welled up with tears as well.

"So do I... So do I." She whispered.

Upstairs in the house, Nancy and Lance shared one of the bedrooms. In the room next to them, Shiro and Adam were huddled close together in the sheets. Shiro planted a kiss on the back of Adam's neck as he began to fall asleep.

In the hallway, a broken window was letting in a cool breeze. It passed over Hunk, which caused him to pop open one of his eyes. Across from him, he saw a lump under a blanket that was shivering.

"...Pidge...?" He called out, still half asleep.

The trembling suddenly stopped.

"Y-Y-Yes...?"

Hunk could hear the chatter in her voice.

"Come here, you're cold. I can tell."

"I-I t-told you... I bite the c-c-cold ba-back..."

Hunk rolled his eyes. Now he could hear her teeth clicking as she continued to shiver.

"Come on, Pidge... We both know you don't want to be cold for the rest of the night."

The hallway was silent, save for the faint chatter of Pidge's teeth.

"...Okay. Scoot over." Hunk scooted back as Pidge quickly scurried across the hall like an insect running for a hole in the wall. She pressed herself against his torso as she pulled her blanket over Hunk's. After a minute or two, Pidge's shivering grew less and less, until she stopped shaking entirely.

"Man, you're like a walking... space heater..." Pidge murmured as his body heat lulled her back to sleep.

"You wouldn't be the first to say that." He sighed as he too fell back to sleep.

In Romelle and Allura's room, Romelle sat by the window. Allura was sat up in the bed, looking at her.

"Romelle... please come to bed. You're tired, I know you are. Please." She begged.

Romelle let out a deep sigh. "I can't let my guard down. I... can't do it. I know Jake is still keeping watch, but... what will an extra set of eyes hurt? I won't let anyone die on my watch."

Allura was silent. "Is... Is this because of-?"

"It's not because of anyone..." Romelle suddenly snapped, then deflated. "I-I'm sorry... Maybe-Maybe I should take a break..."

Allura nodded in agreement as Romelle crawled into the bed next to her.

"Before we go to sleep. There's, uh... something I've been meaning to ask you. I-If you're okay with it." Allura began.

Romelle propped herself up on one arm. "What is it?"

Allura took a shaky breath, and exhaled sharply.

"Will you have sex with me?"

Romelle looked taken aback, then smiled softly.

"Was that too straightforward? I'm sorry... I've just been... thinking, a-and I thought maybe if we found the time we could... I've been wanting to feel... good lately. And you make me feel good." Allura babbled.

Romelle laughed quietly. "It was fine. And... yeah. I'll have sex with you." She winked.

"R-Really?"

"Of course. And don't worry, I'll make you feel good..."

In a flash, both girls sat up. They began to undress one another, until they were both completely out of their clothes. Allura rolled over on top of Romelle and trailed a hand down her chest to her stomach.

Allura's hand went down further, and Romelle's breath hitched. Allura smirked as she watched her girlfriend make all sorts of pleasured faces, and quiet sounds.

Allura moved her hand that was down below Romelle and took it away, making Romelle huff.

"Tease." She grumbled with a smile.

Then, Romelle pulled Allura down onto the bed and she crawled over her.

"I thought I was the one pleasuring you tonight?" She whispered seductively.

Allura felt herself already growing more aroused. "D-Don't let me st-stop you..." She moaned out as Romelle had already started to grind.

"R-Romelle..."

"Shhh... I'd say I'm going to make you scream, but... I guess we can settle for a quiet whimper."

Allura bit her lip as Romelle began moving down the bed, farther down until she was down between Allura's legs.

Allura's eyes bulged as Romelle took action. Their room filled with quiet moans and various noises for the next half hour.

After they finished, they put their clothes back on and climbed into bed next to the other.

"Thank you." Allura smiled as she snuggled against Romelle's back.

"No, thank YOU. Turns out I... really needed that..." Romelle sighed.

The two of them fell into a comfortable sleep in each other's arms as the moonlight casted into their bedroom.

~~~~~

The next morning, the group gathered outside of the house. Allura and Romelle held each other's hands in theirs.

"So, what's next?" James asked.

"We should keep moving on. This house was good for the night, but it's pretty much secluded off, not a lot of places to find food or water or gas for the cars around here. We can't rely too much on hunting either, we never know how much game is even left around this area." Shiro explained.

"We're doing fine on water, though. Pidge's old homemade water purifier from the house gave us a ton of it." Matt rebutted.

"Yeah, but still. When that runs out, we still need a new supply." Shiro shot back.

"Do we even have a concrete plan on where to go?" Rizavi asked.

"...We've been heading northeast for a while, why change that? We're bound to find something good eventually." Adam shrugged.

"So that's a no, then..." Rizavi mumbled.

"Alright, onward northeast it is, then..." Keith repeated. "Let's pack our stuff and get going."

The group grabbed what remained of their food supply, as well as all of the pillows and blankets. Lance made a point to stop in the bathroom and dump all of the medical supplies into a bag.

The group brought the supplies out to the RV and loaded them inside. Nancy and Marcus once again got into their cars with then others, and prepared to drive.

Adam sat down in the driver's seat of the RV and started the engine. Pidge was next to him, and looked at the gas meter.

"How much gas is left? We haven't found any since after we left the vacation house." She asked.

Adam didn't reply at first, but looked at the gas meter himself. Just above a quarter tank.

"...Enough." He stated simply.

He pulled the RV out from beside the house, Nancy and Marcus following behind in the cars.

**THREE DAYS LATER**

The RV drove steadily down the road. Colleen sat next to Pidge at the small table inside of the RV.

"Did you and Matt sleep good last night?" Pidge asked.

Colleen thought back to last night, how they'd both cried each other to sleep again.

"About as good as you can out here." She replied. "How about you? Everything go okay in the house?"

Pidge looked over at Hunk, who was staring out of the window behind him, watching the trees go by.

"A little cold, but other than that I slept perfectly fine."

Up front, Shiro was looking at a map while Adam continued to drive.

"Hey, looks like we just entered a town. Oak Glen." Shiro informed. "There's a huge nature preserve here, I think it's only a couple miles up the road. I bet we could-!"

"DAMMIT!" Adam cursed, hitting the steering wheel.

"What's wrong?" Shiro asked quickly as he sat up in his seat.

"The RV's about to run out of gas. The needle's been pointing to just above E for the last 20 minutes." He grumbled.

"Shit..." Shiro then spotted a dirt road entrance roughly 500 feet ahead. "There! Pull off there!"

Adam honked the RV's horn; the signal that they needed to stop. Once he approached the turnoff, he slowly eased the RV onto the smaller dirt road and past the trees. As the two cars followed behind it, they drove past a sign.

"Redwood Boarding School:

<———

2 miles west"

After roughly half a minute of slow driving down the dirt road, the RV ground to a halt. Adam groaned and rested his head on the dashboard.

One by one, everyone inside the RV climbed out as the cars pulled up behind.

"What happened?" Luis asked.

"RV ran out of gas." Adam huffed.

"Shit..." Marco sighed. "What do we do now? It's literally impossible for all..." He paused to take a headcount, "23 of us, and a dog, to fit in these two cars. Are we going on foot now?"

"We have way too much stuff to carry! There's no way we'd get far." Veronica retorted.

"What, you got a better plan?" Marco narrowed his eyes.

"Don't come at me like that, Marco, or I'll knock you on your ass." Veronica stepped toward her brother.

" _¡Basta!_ Don't start a fight, you two! I expect better from both of you!" Nancy scolded.

"Look, they aren't exactly wrong. We're kind of at a crossroads here." Keith sighed.

"What are our options?" James asked.

"Well..." Adam looked at the RV, then back at the group. "One: we siphon a little gas from each car and add it to the RV, which might get us a little farther down the road, but most likely no more than a mile or two. Two: we grab as much of our stuff as we can, and go on foot, perhaps until we find some replacement vehicle, or... we just walk."

The group looked amongst themselves uneasily.

"I'm gonna say what everyone is thinking. Both of those options are extremely damn terrible." Pidge shook her head.

"Amen." Jake nodded.

"But what else CAN we do? Tanks of gas won't magically rain out of the sky." Windy scoffed.

"No, they won't... But... we could find some!" Pidge suddenly snapped her fingers.

"Okay, before we make this big decision, hear me out on this."

The group turned to face her.

"Me and some others can head through these woods, get to a city, find a gas station, and bring back some gas!" She proposed.

"It could work... good idea, Pidge!" Matt smiled.

"But how do you know there's a city nearby?" Curtis inquired.

Pidge pointed to Shiro. "Shiro said we just entered Oak Glen. Also, before we pulled off here, I noticed the road was curving to the left. I think if we walk farther down this dirt road, but diagonally, so that we're also heading toward the main road, we'll hit the jackpot."

"Sounds... worth a shot." Adam finally nodded.

"Who's comin' with me?" Pidge smirked.

"I'm with you. My sword is quiet and easy to use." Keith held it in the air.

"Yeah, for someone with two arms." Windy joked, waving the covered stump.

Keith gave her a look, then turned away.

"Eh, what the hell, I'll go, too." Rizavi shrugged. "Figured I should put myself to good use."

"Sounds good. We'll be back soon. If we aren't back by nightfall, come looking." Pidge instructed.

"Pidge, here! Take this." Hunk handed her a small gun, just in case. She took it and put it in her waistband with a small smile of gratitude.

"Thanks." She gave Hunk a quick hug, then the same with Colleen and Matt, before she followed Keith and Nadia as they walked down the dirt road.

~~~~~

On the road, Pidge and Keith walked side by side as Nadia walked in front. She was humming to herself and had a small spring in her step.

"How do you do that?" Keith interrogated incredulously.

"Do what?" Nadia asked, walking backwards to face the two of them.

"That. Be so... upbeat all the time. Everyone else in this group is always so grim, focused on survival above all else, and then there's you. You do everything we do, except you've always got a smile on your face." Keith explained.

Nadia turned back around, and she looked into the sky as she thought about it.

"I don't know, really... Guess I just like to stay positive, y'know? I know that sounds ridiculous, but it's something. I tend to be a glass-half-full type of gal." She titled her head. "I guess it's because I also haven't really... lost anyone close to me yet. That I know of, at least. I was at the Garrison since the start, I don't know if my parents are alive or dead or... UNdead. Would be nice to see them again, though... Ina helped me during the times I was missing my parents. She's probably the person closest to me that's gone now. Before all of this, when we had flight classes together, I'd always drag her to the malls on weekends. She always acted so uninterested, but by the time I'd bought her something and we'd gotten some food, she was always smiling. Man... Fuck Sanda for doing what she did to her." Nadia went silent as the three of them kept walking.

"Maybe my positivity is my way of keeping them around. I was always happy with them, so why stop now? I dunno... I haven't thought about it too much."

Pidge and Keith didn't say anything. Nadia's smile dropped slightly. A growl to their right made them all stop. A walker came from behind a tree toward them.

"I'll take care of it." Nadia pulled out her knife.

Pidge and Keith watched as Nadia stabbed in the head.

"Do you see any more?" Pidge asked.

Nadia and Keith looked around to either side of the trees.

"Don't think so. Must've been just the one." Nadia replied.

As Pidge looked through the trees, something caught her eye. Through the trees, a little to the left, she saw what looked to be a building.

"Guys... Guys, look! Do you see that?" Pidge pointed in its direction.

"I see... something." Keith scrunched his face and squinted as he tried to see through the trees. "Is that... a building?"

"There was a sign for a boarding school back at the turnoff for this road. I think this is it!" Nadia exclaimed.

The three of them sprinted closer toward the building, until they were close to 50 yards away.

"Does it look safe?" Nadia wondered.

"You think... You think we could actually STAY here?" Pidge said slowly.

"I think I see a gap in the fence right there." Keith pointed toward the building. "We could get inside that way. Check out if it's legit."

"What about the others? Shouldn't we go back and get them? Tell 'em about this?"

"I agree." Nadia nodded.

Keith shrugs his shoulders and stood up straight.

"Let's make it quick, then."

~~~~~

Allura swung her machete into the forehead of a walker as the entire group huddled by the cut open fence of the boarding school. Lance took his rifle and used it to knock another walker to the ground, and then bash its head in.

Keith held a pair of bolt cutters as he widened the gap in the fence.

"Alright, get inside. I'll take care of the walkers." He instructed.

Shiro held open the fence with his metal hand as Keith ushered Lance and Allura through the fence. Marcus stabbed a walker in the temple, before Keith came up behind him and ushered him inside.

Keith sliced the forehead off of a walker. He then turned and thrusted the sword through the face of another. With the last approaching walker, Keith reeled his arm back and swung with all his might. He managed to decapitate it, making the head roll a few feet away. He walked over to the still snarling head and forced his sword through its temple.

With no more walkers in sight, Keith slipped through the fence hole, lastly followed by Shiro, who did his best to close the hole behind them.

The group was currently huddled along the side of the school building.

"Okay, what do we do now?" Hunk asked.

"Should we check for walkers in the courtyard?" Ryan suggested as he pulled out his knife.

Shiro thought for a moment. "Yeah, we'll sweep the courtyard for any of the dead, then we can-."

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU PEOPLE?!" A girl's voice yelled as she appeared from around the side of the building. She held a gun in Pidge's face. Several others, most of them appearing to be in their late teens, ran up behind her, a few others brandishing guns as well.

"How the hell did you get in here?!" A boy in an orange beanie interrogated.

"Woah woah woah! Everyone, calm down!" Shiro put his hands up as he approached the dark haired girl holding Pidge at gunpoint.

"Shut up! YOU'RE the ones in OUR home!" Orange beanie boy shouted.

"Jonas! Take it down a notch!" A mixed skinned boy hissed.

"Why should I? For all we know they're some kind of murderers!"

"HEY! What's going on?!" A girl with pale blonde hair suddenly ran over, stopping next to the dark haired girl. "Jade, who are these people?"

"We don't know. I heard voices coming from over here and went to check it out. I thought maybe Star and Lukas came to play over here, and instead..." She gestured to Pidge, Shiro, and everyone else.

"Hi, I'm Takashi, or just Shiro. This is my husband, Adam, my brother Keith, and this is my group." He introduced.

"Well... this is... civil. I'm, uh... I'm Grace. This is my girlfriend, Jade. We're kind of the leaders of this place." Grace reciprocated.

"Look, we're so sorry for scaring you like this. Pidge told us she found a place we could possibly stay, so we followed her back here. We had no idea there was another group here." Shiro apologized. "We can leave, we won't be a bother to you all."

"Yeah, don't let the fence hit you on the way out." Jonas sneered.

"Jonas, leave." Grace ordered. "NOW."

Jonas cursed under his breath, but walked away.

"Wait. You guys... You guys seem like okay people. DON'T make me regret this, but... come meet the rest of our group."

"Hey, what kind of a name is PIDGE??" Jade asked incredulously.

"Hi, Pidge here. The one staring at your gun. My real name's Katie. Pidge is a nickname." Pidge chuckled.

Jade lowered her gun, as did the others.

"Come on, follow me." Grace waved them along.

As the group walked, the mixed skinned boy was walking beside Hunk.

"I'm Avery. Sorry about Jonas. He's... temperamental." Avery introduced.

"Hunk. And yeah... we noticed." Hunk said.

"Don't let it get to ya. He's been like this for years." A short, ginger girl with a faint southern accent cut in. "I'm Tara, sorry to butt in like this. Just wanted to say hi. The tall kid in the jacket with short hair is Spencer, and the other girl with glasses and dark hair is Shay. She's a real sweetie, but don't mess with her sister or you'll see a side of her you don't want to." Tara shook her head and let out a puff of air.

Grace led the group to where about ten others were sitting around on some tree logs. When they saw the strangers following behind their leader, they all stood up. A kid with longer brown hair pushed two younger kids behind him.

"Its alright, Parker. They're friendly." Grace put her hands out to reassure him. The others sitting nearby relaxed as well.

"You've already met Jade, Jonas, Avery, Tara, Spencer, and Shay," Grace began, "this is Parker." She gestured to the brown haired boy.

"Hey." He greeted simply.

"This is Damien." She gestured to a dark skinned boy with dreads that hung down around his head.

"Hi there! Always fun to meet more people!" He smiled, winking to add some extra charm.

"That's Elyse." She pointed to another red haired girl, although her hair was shorter than Tara's, one side being shaved down.

The two kids came out from behind Parker, but still looked nervous. Grace put a hand on each of their shoulders.

"And this Lukas," She nodded toward the young dark skinned boy, "and Shay's younger sister, Star." She nodded toward the girl.

"Well, it's nice to meet you all. We've got a lot of people, so uh... I'll let them introduce themselves as we get to know each other." Shiro nodded.

Jonas watched as Shiro and the others began to settle down, a few of them sitting down with some of his group. He glared at Grace and Jade, then stood up and walked away with a huff.

"Welcome to Redwood Boarding School." Grace smirked.

~~~~~

Several hours later, the sun had gone down, and the group had slowly grown more acquainted with the boarding school teens.

Keith stood farther off from the group, near the main gate of the school. Parker approached him from behind.

"Uh, hi." He greeted awkwardly.

Keith turned to face him, and gave a polite smile. "Hey! Uh, it's Parker, right?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Keith."

"Well, nice to meet you, Keith."

Parker stood beside him and stared off into the woods that crowded the road leading up to the school.

"What's it like being out on the road?" He asked. "We've al been here since the start."

"Really? Please tell me you guys know how to kill walkers." Keith groaned.

Parker laughed. "Of course we do! Walkers? That what you guys call the dead?"

"Yeah, pretty much. What do you call them?"

"We went with biters. Seems fitting enough."

They went silent for a beat, until Parker turned to look at him.

"So what's your story? How'd you survive in a world like this, pretty boy?" Parker asked.

Keith's cheeks heated up at the nickname, and he looked down at his feet.

"Well... I was with my brother and his fiancé for most of it. I was actually in school when it hit. I got out of there pretty quick, couple of people tried to come with me, they didn't get far. I met up with Shiro and Adam, and we survived together for a while. One day the two of them went out hunting, said they'd be back. I got worried for some reason and followed them. Almost blew Lance's head off because I saw Shiro and Adam talking to them in the woods. Good thing I didn't, because we joined up with their group that day. After that, we... lost people, moved around a lot. And now we're here." Keith finished.

"I'm sorry. For whoever you lost." Parker sighed.

"Yeah... so am I." Keith shut his eyes as he thought about Rachel.

"I'll give you some space for a bit." Parker suddenly said. "It was nice to meet you, and if you ever need someone to crash with for the night, you know who to call." He winked and walked back over to his group.

No sooner did Parker leave, did James come up beside Keith.

"So, Kogane, who's your new boyfriend?" He teased.

"Oh, screw off." Keith chuckled.

"Come on, man, even I can tell he's totally into you. You gonna go for him?" James asked, only half joking.

Keith subtly turned and looked in his direction.

"If I'm being honest? Maybe...?"

James burst out laughing. Keith did as well, and quickly started to shush him.

"Who would've thought that you'd be getting the hots for a guy who you just met?" He joked.

"...He's charming, okay? Now shut up about it." Keith swatted at James and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm just teasing, man. If it would make you happy, go for it. I support ya." James smiled a little, then walked away.

Keith watched him leave, then turned back to looking out of the gate.

Over by the group, they began to start up a small campfire. Silvio and Nadia were huddled against Luis. They were eyeing the two younger children among the group.

"Come on, go talk to them!" Louis encouraged.

"I'm scared..." Nadia whined.

"What if they don't like us?" Silvio added.

"Why wouldn't they like you?" Luis chuckled. "Come on, making new friends wouldn't hurt. Just say hi!"

Reluctantly, Silvio and Nadia left their father's side and approached Lukas and Star. The two of them noticed, and turned in their direction.

"Uh... h-hi." Silvio waved, looking away.

"Hi." Lukas smiled. "I'm Lukas."

"I'm Star." Star greeted, "What are your guys' names?"

"I-I'm Silvio."

"I'm Nadia."

"Nice to meet you guys." Star shook their hands and invited them to sit with her and Lukas.

"How old are you guys?" Silvio asked.

"Well, when this started I was 9, but Grace told me that my birthday was two weeks ago, so I guess I'm 10 now." Lukas shrugged.

"I'm 14. Not exactly that young but also not as old as everyone else. Shay still treats me like a baby." Star grumbled. "What about you guys?"

"I'm 8, but my birthday is in a month, I think." Silvio smiled. "Nadia turned 7 last week. We had a cool mini party for her, although we didn't have a cake." His face dropped.

"Oh, well. Maybe one day we'll find a cake." Lukas reassured.

Luis watched his kids start to smile and talk to the others. Marco saw this as well and nudged him.

"Look at that. Who would've thought those two would ever get to meet more kids around their age?"

"Certainly not me." Luis sighed. "If you ask me, for a while I thought every other kid would be dead by now. I'm glad that doesn't seem to be the case." He smiled.

Lance was sitting nearby on one of the logs, when Elyse came and sat directly next to him.

"Hey... I saw you holding that huge gun earlier. Can you really shoot it?" She asked curiously.

"Uh... yeah. I learned how like last year. What a coincidence, right?" He laughed.

"I think it's kinda... sexy." She looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

Lance's cheeks went full red and he looked down.

"Uhh... w-well, I... Umm... Thanks." He finally composed himself and flashed her one of his classic smirks.

From behind them, Pidge was standing beside Allura and Romelle. The three of them watched as Elyse continued to cuddle up against Lance and hit on him.

"Looks like it's true love blossoming." Pidge scoffed, snickering at how Lance was trying to lay it on thick.

"Honestly, just looks like she wants to get into his pants." Romelle shook her head.

"How would you know?"

"She's got that look in her eye. The uh... how do I say it... the "horny" look". Romelle explained.

Pidge gave Romelle a skeptical stare. "Really? Have you ever had this "horny" look?"

Allura and Romelle looked at each other, then back at Pidge. The latter put the puzzle pieces together in her head.

"Oh, my GOD. You guys-?!"

"Yes. Yes, we did." Allura smirked. "And it was very enjoyable. Romelle is better than she gave herself credit for."

"Ugh. Gross." Pidge stuck out her tongue. "I'm gonna go inside and try to get the image of you two... going at it out of my head."

Allura and Romelle snickered as Pidge turned away and walked up the stairs to the main doors. Just as she grabbed the handle, a sharp cry rang out.

"NO NO NO NO NO!!! Stay away from the doors!" Grace suddenly ran up and got in between Pidge and the school's doors.

"Uh... S-Sorry." Pidge took a step back.

Grace relaxed her posture, and sighed. "Sorry for going nuts, just... there's a reason we're all out here, and not using the dorms inside the school."

"Which is?"

"We haven't cleared inside the school yet." Grace admitted.

Everyone else had taken notice of Grace's outburst.

"So you've all been living out here in the courtyard for all this time?" Matt inquired.

"Pretty much." Jade confirmed. "It's not so bad. We just didn't think we'd be able to take on all of the biters inside on our own. Maybe now that you guys are here, you could... give us a hand?"

Shiro looked over at Adam, who shrugged and nodded.

"I don't see why not. If we're gonna be staying here, it's only right that we help to clear this place completely." He agreed.

"For real? Thank you guys so much. Really." Grace thanked them.

"We should probably wait to do this until morning. It's dark as hell out, which isn't the best mood lighting for killing walkers." Veronica pointed out.

"She's right. Wouldn't be the smartest play. We'd probably end up killing each other instead of any biters." Damien chuckled.

"We'll work on clearing out the inside first thing in the morning." Jade decided.

"Sounds good. We'll decide who's going to help out tomorrow, too." Shiro said.

"For now, we should all get some sleep. It's pretty late anyway. You've got the whole courtyard to sleep in, take your pick for a sleeping spot." Jade shrugged.

"Will do. We've actually got a bunch of blankets and pillows in our bags here. We'll see if we can spare any for you guys."

"Well, hot damn!" Tara grinned. "I haven't used a blanket in months!"

Jonas stood up and walked away from everyone else.

"Whatever..." He muttered under his breath.

A few minutes later, most of the group had blankets, and were all lying on the ground to go to sleep. Grace and Jade were huddled underneath a blanket together.

"You were right to let these people in." Jade whispered. "I like them."

Grace leaned into Jade's forehead and breathed a sigh of contentment.

"I like 'em, too. Maybe tomorrow we'll finally get to push into the school building and use the real beds for the first time in nearly a damn year." She marveled.

"Ahhh, just think of it, Gracie. An actual mattress, sheets, even more blankets. God, I can feel it now." Jade snuggled deeper into the blanket and wrapped her arms around Grace.

"Until tomorrow, babe... Until tomorrow."

~~~~~

The following morning, Grace, Shiro, and several others were stood outside of the main entrance to the school.

"Alright, Hunk, Keith, Adam, and Romelle? You guys are our team for clearing out the school." Shiro instructed.

"Damien, Parker, Jonas, and myself will go with you guys." Grace added.

Grace handed everyone going in various weapons. Keith pulled out his sword confidently.

"Damn, nice blade." Grace complimented.

"Thanks. Found it the first day everything happened." He explained.

She handed Jonas a baseball bat, and he took it as he scowled at Keith and the others.

"Don't start shit or I swear to god I'll use that bat on you." Grace threatened.

"Yeah yeah, I'll play nice, MOM." Jonas rolled his eyes.

As Grace turned to lead everyone to the doors, Star ran up beside her.

"Can I help? I can kill biters, I just need more practice!" She begged.

Shay followed behind her and pulled her back.

"No way, Star. I'm not letting you do something this dangerous."

"Are you serious?! It's not like I'll be by myself!"

"No, but like you said, you need PRACTICE. A building filled with these things is not your ideal practicing field." Shay reminded.

Star's shoulders slumped as she gave in.

"Fine... maybe we'll just find some out in the woods later." She sighed, and ran off.

"Star... Star! Come on! Come back!" Shay began to chase after her sister.

"You guys ready?" Grace asked.

The rest of them nodded, and Grace grabbed the door handles.

"Alright... here we go."

She pulled open the doors, and carefully led the others in. Shiro stopped Adam as he got to the doorway.

"Come back alive for me."

"You can always count on it." Adam gave Shiro a quick kiss, before heading inside the school and shutting the doors behind him.

The inside of the school was dim, the majority of the light was coming in through the windows in the hallway.

"Have you guys ever had to clear an infested building?" Damien asked Romelle as they walked side by side.

"Surprisingly? No. We've checked houses to sleep in overnight, none of them ever had more than... three walkers inside." She answered.

"Damn... looks like it's a first for both of us, then." He smiled.

"Just do what we tell you guys and maybe you won't die in here." Jonas scoffed.

"Dude, what's your problem? Seriously." Romelle glared.

Damien looked between the two, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Give me and him a minute?"

"Yeah, sure." Romelle huffed, before walking farther ahead.

Damien slowed down to walk beside Jonas.

"Dude... WHY are you acting like this. I know you've got... problems dealing with emotions and stuff like that, but these people have been nothing but nice to us. Hell, WE'RE the ones who shoved guns in their faces. They didn't even retaliate." Damien recalled.

"That's because they were trespassing in our home. Guess they're gonna be staying here now so it's all hunky dory now!" Jonas remarked sarcastically. "Look, we've been doing just fine here on our own. We don't need new people! All they're going to do is cause trouble."

"No offense, but that's kind of a shitty mindset to have, dude. We've got a decent amount of people, 17 if I recall correctly. But two of them are still young, and there's a decent amount of us who still can't fight because they've never been out of these school walls." Damien argued. "A group of people from out there joining us? It's what we need. Look, please just... just give them a chance?"

Jonas' glare softened into a neutral expression, and he let out a deep sigh.

"...FINE. I give them one shot, but if I see anything that pisses me off, it's over."

Damien smiled. "Good enough for me." He patted Jonas on the back and sped up to catch up with Romelle.

Just then, they heard several moans coming from up ahead.

"Looks like we've got our first batch of deadies." Parker said.

"Weapons up." Adam whispered.

They inched forward slowly. The hallway was nearing a corner, and the moans were getting louder. Suddenly, roughly a dozen walkers came lumbering around the corner.

"It's go time, people!" Grace yelled.

Adam pulled back his crossbow and fired an arrow into a walker's head. Keith charged forward and kicked a walker back, then slashed the back of another one's head. The kicked walker lunged at him, but he stuck the sword straight into its eye. Parker ran up beside him and stabbed a walker in the head.

"Nice moves, there, Keith." He winked.

Jonas beat a walker's head in as Grace slammed her small hatchet into the forehead of another walker. Romelle pulled out the cleaver and slashed two walkers in quick succession as Damien knocked a walker down and stomped on its head. Hunk pulled out Allura's machete she'd let him borrow and brought it down on top of a walker's head. Jonas smacked a walker in the face, and when the last one lunged for him, he hit it in the back of the head, accidentally sending it charging at Keith.

Luckily, Keith was prepared, and sliced the walker's head in half as he sidestepped out of its way.

The group painted as they looked among the bodies. Adam pulled his arrow out of the head of the walker he killed.

"Good work, guys." Grace nodded.

"Thanks, but we're not finished yet." Romelle pointed around the corner, where more moans in the distance could be heard.

They continued walking slowly through the hallway. Two walkers came growling out of a classroom, and were quickly dispatched by Romelle and Damien.

Parker walked beside Keith. He watched as another walker forced its way out of a dorm room, and Keith stabbed it in the face.

"Hey, Keith, I know we were... talking last night, and I really enjoyed your company. So, I was wonderin'... would you be interested in, um... going on a date with me? Or... whatever could be considered a date nowadays. A walk in the forest? Looking at the stars together? I dunno." Parker looked away, feeling embarrassed.

Keith's mouth formed an O shape in surprise. Part of him wanted to believe that he was just being pranked, but the romantic inside him told him a different story.

"Yeah... Yeah, I'll go on a date with you. What do you say, tonight?"

Parker smiled. "Tonight it is."

As they continued walking, Adam nudged Keith.

"Got a new boyfriend, huh?" He teased.

"Shut it! It's not... official. We're gonna have a date, kinda, to test the waters with it tonight. But... I do hope it goes well." Keith sighed.

"Under all those layers, there really is a soft side to you." Adam patted him on the back.

"Fuck off." Keith glared.

"There's the Keithy I know." Adam smirked.

Keith moved away from Adam, as the latter went back to walking beside Grace.

"Hey, how'd this place get overrun?" He asked her.

"Same way any other place, really. We didn't know how to kill these things at first, so they got the advantage. Forced us to flee outside, and we locked them inside. The first few days... we could hear the screams. Students who got left behind inside. Every single one of the teachers... sure, most were assholes, but... some weren't." Grace looked down at this.

"I'm sorry." Adam apologized. "There's walls around this place, though. How did the walkers get inside?"

"Same way you got inside. There's another fence hole around the back of the school, too. Some geniuses cut them out back when the front entrance was blocked with those things, trying to escape a different way. All they did was get themselves killed the moment they stepped outside the fence. We managed to get the hole where you guys came in under control. We put someone on watch there just in case, though. That's what Jade was doing when she first saw you guys. The one out back, well... it's been left alone ever since then. I don't know how many more biters got in since then, but, it has to be a lot." Grace explained.

"We could always find a way to close it off." Adam suggested, then a lightbulb went off over his head. "Our cars! That's it! Before we got here, we had a couple cars and an RV. The RV ran out of gas, so we left the cars a couple miles back down the road leading to this place. The cars still have gas, however. Maybe we can squeeze them past the trees and use them as a way to block off the holes?"

Grace nodded along with the idea. "I think it could work. You said your RV was out of gas?" She asked. Behind them, Hunk stabbed a walker in the head.

"Yeah, why?"

"The generators for power here stopped working a few days into this. We've still got at least a half a can of gas sitting in a supply closet around here. We could take it with you back to your RV and get all of your vehicles back here."

"Seriously? That'd be amazing!" Adam thanked.

"We gotta take care of each other, right? After all, looks like we're each other's people now."

A little farther down the hall, Grace stopped them.

"You guys hear that?"

Then others listened, until Romelle nodded.

"Yeah."

"Sounds like a lot." Hunk rubbed his hands together nervously.

"We'll be alright. Just keep steady." Parker reassured.

Around another corner, at the end of the hallway, the group stopped upon seeing the walkers. Just under three dozen of them crowded the hallway.

"Oh, shit..." Jonas muttered.

"Stay strong. We got this." Keith nodded.

Keith advanced first. He thrusted the sword through two walkers' heads, then kicked a walker against a wall, and used his foot to kick it again in its head in, killing it. After that, he ducked underneath an attacking walker, then killed another behind it. The walker that lunged for him was quickly stabbed by Parker.

"That's our cue. Come on!" Romelle ushered the rest of them into battle to cover Keith.

Jonas used his hat to slam a walker's head against the wall. Hunk slashed through three walkers quickly with the machete. When he stopped, he looked at how bloody the weapon had become, and shook it off. Romelle slammed her cleaver into the side of a walker's head, then pulled it out and sliced into another one's forehead. Beside her, Grace stabbed two walkers in the head and let the bodies fall.

Adam loaded another arrow into his bow. As he was about to fire, a walker had gotten past the others and was approaching him. With a grunt, Adam lowered the bow and pulled out his knife. He easily put down the walker, then readjusted his bow, before firing off the arrow and hitting a walker that very nearly bit Damien in the arm.

"Whew... thanks, man!" Damien nodded

Adam nodded back respectfully.

Most of the walkers had been killed, and only a few remained.

"Come on, y'all! This is it! We're so close!" Grace encouraged.

Damien stabbed a walker in the back of the head after pinning it against the wall. Romelle struggled with a walker as another approached her. She kicked approaching one away from her, then swiftly stabbed the first one. She went to stab the one on the ground, but Keith stuck his sword through its head first.

Grace snuck up behind a female walker that looked extremely decayed. Before she could get any closer, the walker turned around. Grace's eyes bulged and her whole body froze. Her hands began to tremble and she dropped the knife.

"N-No... M-Mrs. Giacoma...?" She said in a voice barely audible.

Parker stabbed the last walker, aside from the undead Mrs. Giacoma. He saw her frozen in place and called out.

"Grace! Grace, move!" When Grace didn't acknowledge him, he ran over and pulled her out of the way.

The undead Mrs. Giacoma lunged at him and slammed him against the wall.

"FUCK! Help!" He screamed as he accidentally lost his knife.

The undead woman snarled and snapped in his face as he held her back. At last, Keith raced over and forced his sword through the side of Mrs. Giacoma's head. What was left of her body fell to the ground. Parker took a moment to catch his breath.

Grace was on the ground, still shaking. Adam took her hand and helped her stand.

"Grace, what was all that about? Why did you freeze up like that?" He asked.

"I-I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... Th-That was Mrs. Giacoma. One of the teachers. One of the ones who wasn't an asshole." She explained, recalling their previous conversation. "She used to teach us math, sometimes a little science. She was always so nice... They must've devoured her, she's... she's got barely anything left on her. Oh, my god, I caused this... w-we shut the doors, others could've gotten out-!" Grace began to cry as Adam held her shoulder sympathetically.

"The place was getting overrun, you said that. There was nothing you could've done..." He murmured.

Parker groaned as he stood up straight.

"God...DAMN, these biters must be strong as hell. She really slammed me against the wall, my shoulder hurts like hell." He complained.

"Here, let me look." Keith pulled down Parker's shirt to reveal his left shoulder.

"Any brusies? How bad does it look?"

"Doesn't seem to be that bad, I don't see any..." Keith trailed off as he saw a few spots of blood on the shirt.

He pulled the shirt down a little further, and backed away. Parker looked at him, growing uneasy.

"Keith...? What's wrong?" He asked.

"Parker... I-I'm so sorry..." Keith's voice cracked.

Parker reached up and felt his shoulder, and his stomach dropped. He looked down at his shoulder.

The bite mark on his shoulder continued to leak a steady trail of blood.

~~~~~

An hour later, Parker was resting in one of the beds inside of the boarding school dorms. Grace, Jade, Jonas. Keith, and Spencer were in the room with him. Spencer was knelt down at his beside.

"Parker... shit, n-no!" He blubbered.

"It's okay... I tried my best, man..." Parker reached out and took Spencer's hand in a firm handshake.

"You're my best friend! I can't do this without you..." He sniffled.

"You'll be alright... Grace'll show you the way." Parker's voice was growing more hoarse. The infection was already beginning to set in.

"God... I'm sorry... I'm sorry." Spencer repeated as he stood up and left the room, tears in his eyes.

Jonas watched him leave, a scowl had returned to his face. He then set his sights on Keith, who was leaned against the wall near the door.

"Why the hell is HE here?" Jonas growled.

"Because Parker ASKED him to be." Jade retorted. "Deal with it."

Jonas rolled his eyes and stormed out, bumping Keith's shoulder as he left. Keith watched him leave, and came over beside Parker's bed.

"Hey, Keith... does this count as our date?" Parker weakly chuckled.

Keith couldn't bring himself to laugh, but he managed a tiny smile.

"I wouldn't call you being on your deathbed a date..." He replied.

"Ah, well... guess it wasn't meant to be." Parker sighed. His eyes were turning bloodshot, and his skin was slightly paler. "Don't worry... You're cute as hell. Someone'll sweep you off your feet eventually."

Parker began to cough badly. Jade grabbed a bucket beside the bed and held it under his face as he spit up some blood.

"I feel like... I feel like I caused this. Maybe if I'd killed that walker quicker-."

"Shut up... this is in no way y-your damn fault. Don't go guilting yourself over me..." He pleaded.

Keith nodded slowly. "I'll do my best."

Grace and Jade watched as Parker rested his head back on the pillow. Keith stood up and headed for the door.

"I-I should go. I'll leave you guys alone with him." He mumbled.

"Take... Take care, Keith Kogane." Parker smiled.

Keith paused in the doorway, and halfway turned back around.

"You... I will." He turned back to the hallway and left the room.

Keith walked out of the boarding school back into the courtyard, and was immediately met with the sound of screaming.

Jonas and a few others were engaging in a yelling match with Hunk, Allura, Romelle, and others in their group.

"YOU PEOPLE ARE NOTHING BUT BAD LUCK!!!" Jonas got in Hunk's face.

"BACK OFF." Pidge shoved him back away from Hunk.

"Who're you gonna get killed next, huh?!" A girl shouted.

"Parker was a good person! Now he's fucking dead because of these pricks!" Another boy yelled.

The girl charged at Romelle and punched her in the face, making her fall back on the ground. Allura let out a furious cry and knocked the girl's legs out from underneath her. The boy attempted to lunge and tackle Allura, but Rizavi managed to grab him and lock her arms around his neck and throw him to the ground.

Jonas tried to take a step in Hunk's direction, but Pidge kicked him in the shin.

"Fucking bitch!" He growled.

The shouts grew louder as more punches and kicks were thrown. Keith ran in between everyone, with Shiro right beside him.

"STOP IT! STOP IT! EVERYONE STOP!!" He screamed at the top of his lungs.

Everyone surprisingly listened, and went deathly quiet. Keith took a few deep breaths as he dropped his sword.

"Parker getting bit wasn't anyone's fault." He declared. "It was a wrong place at the wrong time type of situation. We couldn't have done anything to stop it."

"Yeah, you could've not fucking showed up here." Jonas crossed his arms.

"Shut your MOUTH!" Pidge cried. Matt and Colleen held her back, while Damien and Shay held back Jonas as both of them attempted to lunge for each other.

"Hey hey HEY! No fighting!" Shiro's voice boomed. "You really think your friend Parker would want us to devolve into screaming barbarians beating each other to death?"

Jonas stepped toward Shiro and clicked his tongue in disgust.

"I don't know what he'd want. He's dead." He spat, before turning and walking away, followed by a few other teens.

Keith, Shiro, and everyone else watched them walk away. A look of guilt briefly flashed over Keith's face. James noticed as he spared a glance at him.

~~~~~

A few hours later, Grace and Jade were sitting on the bed across from Parker. They watched as he slowly drew in breath after breath.

Not a minute later, Parker’s chest rose, then fell. It didn’t rise again. Grace sat upright and tapped Jade’s thigh.

“H-He’s... gone. Jade, he’s-!”

“I know, Gracie...”

Grace stood up, her knife in hand. She approached Parker’s unmoving body and held it a few inches over his temple. She was about to push the knife in, when Jade lightly grabbed her by the arm.

“You don’t have to. I can... handle it.” She offered.

“N-No. I did this. I CAUSED this. I-It has to be me... It has t-to...” Grace stopped talking as her words devolved into quiet sobs.

Jade wrapped her arms around her, rubbing her back as she cried. Grace willingly put the knife in Jade’s hands and backed away. Jade saw this, and just nodded.

Standing over Parker’s body. Jade stared down at his closed eyes, and leveled the knife with his head. Closing her eyes, Jade pressed the knife down into his temple.

After Parker was put inside a grave and buried, everyone stood around it, solemnly looking at the ground. Keith and Grace stood next to each other.

“I’m sorry...” Keith murmured.

Grace looked up, straight ahead at the plaque with Parker’s name carved into it.

“Me, too.”

**ONE WEEK LATER**

Pidge, Grace, Hunk, Romelle, Damien, and Spencer were out on a scavenging run.

“How’d you sleep last night?” Hunk asked Romelle.

Romelle took a dramatic sigh. “Allura doesn’t want to admit it but she snores. A LOT. Hell, I even kicked her at one point to get her to stop.” She laughed.

“Who would’ve thought someone as elegantly put together as Allura would be such a heavy sleeper?” Pidge joked.

“She could’ve had me fooled.” Grace agreed. “She’s such a smooth talker, I would’ve assumed everything she did would be super graceful.”

“If I had to be stuck in a room with anyone, I’d want it to be her.” Damien said.

Romelle shot him a look. “Hey, she’s MY girlfriend. Don’t get any funny ideas.” She pointed an accusing finger at him.

“Hey, I’m not! Just sayin’ she’s good company.” He defended.

Romelle smirked at him, and they were just about to turn down a different path, when several gunshots went off from somewhere nearby.

“What the hell?” Spencer muttered.

“That can’t be anyone from our group, they’re all back at Redwood.” Pidge shook her head.

“You think someone’s in trouble?” Hunk suggested.

“Shit, we should see if we can help!” Grace decided. “Come on!”

The six of them ran as fast as they could in the direction of the gunshots.

They burst out from the trees and out onto a street near a town. Down the road, they saw a group of about six or seven others fending of a huge amount of walkers.

“Keep shooting! We’ve almost beat them!” A man with short, graying hair shouted.

“They just keep coming! We have to run, William!” A man in a cap retorted, before shooting two walkers in their heads.

“Don’t chicken out now, Zach! If you wanna survive, you have to fight! You don’t get to just run!” William fired back.

Pidge and the others watched from behind a building.

“Should we help them?” Romelle whispered.

“I... I don’t know. They look like they’re part of a bigger group. Maybe from a bigger place.” Hunk said.

“How can you tell?” Spencer questioned.

“Their clothes. They’re clean. Mostly. And they’re only carrying small packs, to put things they’ve scavenged in. They’re headed back somewhere, we should just leave them be.” He explained.

“We can’t just let them-!”

Grace was cut off as the group ahead of them continued to yell at one another.

“William! What are we doing?! We’re getting cornered here!” A man yelled.

“Shut your mouth, Shawn! We’re fine! Jenny! Zach! I need to reload! Cover me!” William replied.

Shawn glared at William as he fell back.

“You don’t think I want to get out of here? I don’t want to lead these biters back to the city either. You think I want to put Bry in danger?” He accused.

“No, I-!”

“Then stay fucking quiet. Don’t say one word about this.”

Shawn raised an eyebrow. “One word about... what?”

William didn’t reply. He loaded a new clip into his gun, and aimed it down toward the ground. He fired a bullet into Zach’s ankle first, then Jenny’s. Both of them screamed as they fell to the ground.

“Will, what the fuck?!” A girl, Luna, yelled in horror.

“FUCK YOU, WILLIAM!!! ROT IN HELL!!” Jenny screamed as she used her good leg to kick a walker away from her.

Zach tried to scoot backward, but several walkers piled on top of him and quickly began to rip him apart.

“BASTARD!!! NOOO!!!” He screamed as his face and stomach were torn apart.

Jenny started to sob as walkers began to devour her legs. They dragged her closer as she screamed, and began to biting her neck and torso as well.

“You... You killed them...” The last man, Eugene, stammered.

“All of you, keep your mouths SHUT... They were overwhelmed and killed by the biters, and nothing more. They sacrificed their lives so we could live. Got it?” He scowled.

Shawn, Luna, and Eugene all swallowed nervously and nodded.

“Good, now let’s...” William looked down the road, spotting Hunk peeking out from around the building. “HEY!”

William pointed his rifle and fired. The bullet just barely missed Hunk. He yelped and ducked behind the building.

“Shit, they saw me!” He whimpered.

“Come out! NOW!” William demanded as he and his group approached the building.

Slowly, Pidge, Hunk, Romelle, Grace, Spencer, and Damien all walked out from behind the building, their hands out as a sign of peace.

“We don’t want any trouble.” Romelle reassured.

“Why were you watching us?” Luna questioned, although she wasn’t pointing her gun at them. Neither was Shawn.

“We heard the shots. We just wanted to see if you needed help.” Pidge cut in. “We’re from a boarding school not too far from here. I’m Pidge, this is Hunk, Romelle, Grace, Damien, and Spencer.”

“I don’t care who you are. You need to stay the hell away from our land.” William ordered.

“Look, we didn’t even know you guys were around here. We can stay out of each other’s way, but you don’t have to be such a dick about it.” Pidge shook her head.

“I don’t like your attitude, missy. Didn’t your father ever teach you manners?”

Pidge’s whole body tensed. The gunshot from that day on the beach went off in her head, as loud as it had been the first time. In a split second, Pidge drew her gun and pointed it at William.

“Keep my father out of this.” She growled.

“Lower the gun, little bitch!” Eugene shouted.

“You really gonna shoot me, honey? You’re not gonna like how this ends.” William shook his head.

Hunk came to Pidge’s side and put his hand on her arm.

“Put it down... it’s not worth it.” He whispered. “Come on... let’s just go.”

Pidge’s hand shook, and she gritted her teeth, but at last she lowered the weapon.

“That’s what I thought.” William chuckled arrogantly. “If I see you out here again, we won’t be as friendly.”

Pidge turned around and started to walk away.

“Likewise.” She called back to him, sticking her middle finger in his direction.

Hunk, Romelle, Grace, Spencer, and Damien took one last look at William and the people with him, before they followed after Pidge.

Once they were gone, William turned back to Luna, Shawn, and Eugene.

“New story. We ran into some... hostile folks on the road. Jenny and Zach died to them. Murdered in cold blood. Understand?” He narrowed his eyes at the three of them.

“Understand.” They repeated in unison.

“Good. Let’s get back home. Don’t want the others to worry.” William began walking back in the other direction.

Luna, Shawn, and Eugene followed behind him. They walked around the walkers that were still feasting on the bodies of Jenny and Zach. Shawn spared them one final glance, then turned and caught up with the others.

**NOW**

James and Avery stood watch on an elevated guard post next to the wall of Redwood. A sudden movement from the woods to the left of the gate made them aim their rifles down into the trees.

Bryan was pushed out from the trees, followed by Pidge, her gun still pressed against the back of their head. Lance, Allura, and Grace walked out behind them.

“Open the gates!” Pidge demanded.

“Who the hell is that??” Avery asked with confusion.

“Just open the damn gates!”

Sighing, James climbed down the ladder and came around to open the gate. Once it was pulled open, Pidge shoved Bryan forward.

“Move.” She spat.

“Pidge, what the hell did you do?” James groaned as he saw Bryan with the gun to their head.

“P-Please... I can tell you what you want to know, just let me go!” They begged. “Y-You already killed my boyfriend, d-don’t kill me!”

Pidge rolled her eyes. “Stop crying, already! Your boyfriend, Lorenzo, was it? He’s not dead. We need both of you alive for this.” She revealed.

“H-He’s alive?!” Bryan felt tears of joy and anxiety running down their face.

“The others will be back with him soon. Don’t get your hopes up. If this doesn’t go our way, we’ll probably kill you.”

Pidge turned them around to face her, and she finally lowered the gun. Avery walked up behind James, and looked to Grace, who just shot back a worried glance. Pidge stared up at Bryan.

“We’re locking you both up in separate rooms. And you’re going to be staying there, until you tell us exactly what we want to know.” She told them with an intimidating snarl on her lips.

“If you and your true love comply, maybe you guys can go back to your weasels you call people, and we can all live happily after after without having to see each other again. How’s that sound?” She asked.

Bryan said nothing as Pidge forced them through the gates of Redwood, into the unknown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is by far THE longest chapter of something I have ever written. I’ve broken my own personal record. :3


	3. A Cautious Struggle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bryan and Lorenzo find themselves caught between two sides.

James and Avery shut the gates of Redwood, watching as Pidge walked toward the school with Bryan.

"Keep walking." Pidge hissed as Bryan accidentally lost their footing. She helped them regain balance, then continued shoving them.

When she almost reached the school, the door swung open, with Adam, Veronica, and Hunk all storming down the steps toward her. From another area in the courtyard, almost everyone else ran over as well.

"Who the hell is this?!" Jonas sneered.

"Why is he here?" Veronica asked.

"What the hell is going on?!" Luis demanded as he held Silvio and Nadia close to him.

"Pidge, what did you do?" Hunk's question came across in such a soft tone that she almost faltered, however she steadied herself and held Bryan firmly.

"Grace, you okay?" Jade embraces her girlfriend, relieved. "What happened out there?"

"Well... Pidge got what she wanted, I guess." Grace sighed.

"This," Pidge began, "is our ticket out of this mess. This is William's son. We can let him know we have him and his little lover, and then maybe he'll agree to leave us the hell alone if we hold them as like some kind of ransom."

"So what, we take people hostage now?" Adam questioned.

"Did you see any other way to solve this?" Pidge retorted.

"He's right, Pidge!" Hunk approached her and lightly grabbed her arm. "This isn't who we are."

Pidge stared up at Hunk, then looked back at Bryan, who was staring at the ground intently.

"Maybe it's who we have to be." She said.

"There are some extra dorms not being used near the end of the main hall." Grace informed. "We can lock them both up down there."

"Perfect. Now move." Pidge ushered Bryan forward again.

"P-Please, you don't have to do this. You can let me and Lorenzo go. We won't do anything, I swear!" Bryan begged.

"Stop talking."

"Please! I just-!"

Bryan was cut off as Pidge's gun smacked them over the head.

"I said stop talking!" She yelled.

"Pidge! Stop!" Hunk got in between them, and helped Bryan steady themself. A tiny trail of blood trickled from where she'd hit.

Pidge looked at their head, then at her weapon, and sighed.

"Shit... Shit, okay. I- That was a little... overboard." She admitted.

"Go sit down for a minute, Pidge." Lance offered as he and Allura walked up beside her.

"Yeah, we'll take him from here." Allura finished.

"...Okay." Pidge agreed, walking away.

Once she was gone, Lance took the gun she'd used and aimed it at Bryan.

"Alright, now walk. We'll have Allura look at your head, don't worry." He said.

As Lance and Allura led them up the stairs to the school, Nancy raced over to Lance and stopped him.

"Lance! _¿Por qué estás haciendo esto?_ We don't lock people away..." She insisted.

Lance gave his mother an apologetic stare.

"I'm sorry, Mama. We'll figure this out soon." He replied.

"Lance! Please, listen!" She protested, but he and Allura had walked on. Nancy sighed and walked away again.

Before Lance and Allura could enter the school with Bryan, they heard a male voice from beyond the gate.

"Hey! Open the gate!"

"They're back!" Matt cried as he ran over to the gate.

James and Avery opened the gate once again, letting Keith and Colleen inside. Keith had his sword pressed against the neck of Lorenzo. Bryan saw this, and their heart fell into their stomach.

"Stop thrashing!" Keith growled as he and Colleen held onto Lorenzo's arms as they led him inside.

"L-Lorenzo! Lorenzo!" They yelled.

"Bryan! Hey, don't you hurt them!" Lorenzo struggled harder to escape their grip, but it was no use.

Bryan continued to yell for their boyfriend as both of them were led inside the school.

~~~~~

Inside the walls of Plaht City, Sam was sitting on the steps of a house as she rolled a rock between her fingers. She stared up at the sun high in the sky and let out a deep sigh.

"Hey! Hey, you alright?"

Sam looked up to see Audrey approaching. She took a seat next to her and followed her gaze back up toward the sun.

"I'm... fine, I guess. Just worrying." Sam sighed.

"About what?" Audrey asked.

Sam looked down at the rock in her hands.

"How long has it been since Bryan and Lorenzo left?"

Audrey took a minute to think, then turned back to Sam.

"I dunno, I think just under four hours? Weird... they're usually back by now."

"Exactly." Sam shot up from her spot on the steps and started to walk down the street.

Audrey got up as well and began following her. The two girls briskly walked side by side, each looking around.

"Something's not right. Lorenzo always drags Bryan's ass back after at LEAST three hours." Sam muttered.

"Y-You think something happened to them out there? Do you think they-?"

"Do NOT finish that sentence. They're still alive, I refuse to believe otherwise. We just need to find the others, and then... see if we can go find them."

Sam and Audrey approached the side of the house where they'd been the day before.

"M-Maybe they're back. Maybe they're- AAH!" Audrey screamed as someone collided into her side and they both fell to the ground.

Max was lying on top of her, and quickly stood up.

"Sorry! Sorry! Are you okay?" He asked as he helped Audrey stand.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why were you running around back there?" She asked.

"I'm looking for Bryan and Lorenzo. It's been too long and I'm worried." He anxiously brought his fingernails up to his mouth and chewed on them.

"You too? Join the party." Sam groaned.

"GUYS!" The three of them turned as Jace ran up beside them.

"Let me guess, you're on the hunt for Bryan and Lorenzo?" Sam prompted.

"Yeah. You?"

"Same thing. Come on. We need to get to the bottom of this." Sam grabbed Jace by the hand as she led the others down another street.

"Oh, God... what if... what if they don't ever come back... what if the biters got them?" Max murmured to himself.

"Stop. Stop... saying shit like that. They're fucking alive, and I KNOW it. Come on." Sam scoffed.

They came to an intersection, and Sam pointed to where she was headed. The Robinson house.

"...We have to talk to THEM?" Audrey huffed.

"If we want to be able to get them back... yes." Sam sighed.

The four of them started walking toward the house, when a man walking the other way bumped into Sam's shoulder.

"Hey, watch where you walk." Sam scowled.

"Oh yeah? Right back at you, ya little bitch-!"

"Hey! Virgil, stop. It's not worth it." Another man similar looking to him grabbed Virgil by the shirt and pulled him back.

"Damn kids need to learn when to stop running their mouths." Virgil sneered, before turning and continuing to walk away. "Move your ass, Roman!"

Roman turned back to the others with an apologetic look.

"...Sorry." He muttered, and followed after his brother.

Sam shook her head and turned back to face the house.

"Now I see why they chose him to lead. Takes an asshole to lead assholes." She chuckled dryly.

~~~~~

Inside the headmaster's office at Redwood, Shiro, Pidge, Lance, Allura, Colleen, Hunk, Grace, Jade, Romelle, Jonas, Matt, Keith, and Adam stood around the desk.

"Now, let me ask this again. What the hell?" Shiro exclaimed.

"This was our best option." Keith remarked.

"Best option? Holding two people hostage and threatening to KILL them is our best option?!" Hunk looked at him, almost disgusted.

"I have to agree with Hunk, 'Lura..." Romelle shrugged. "Keeping people locked up like... animals. It doesn't sit right with me."

Allura looked away, a guilty look washing over her face.

"It's not like we wanted to." She murmured. "We're just trying for peace."

"Hostages is not the way!" Hunk shouted.

"Then tell us another way, smart guy!" Jonas cut in.

"Hey, don't start hurling insults at people! Especially Hunk of all people!" Romelle scoffed.

"Oh, shut up, blondie! The only reason you're kissing his ass is because you got his mom killed!"

Romelle's breath caught in her throat, and she took a few steps back. Allura held her steady so she didn't fall.

"Where the hell did you hear that?" She spat.

"Stories travel, especially when our groups are playing a game of 'Get To Know You'." He replied.

Romelle and Hunk briefly locked eyes, before Romelle turned away and stormed out of the room.

"MotherFUCKER!" Allura stormed over to Jonas and punched him in the face.

"HEY HEY HEY!! Knock it off!" Shiro and Matt got in between both of them as they shouted above everyone else.

Once Allura and Jonas backed off, Shiro went back to leading the discussion.

"As much as I don't approve of this... those two are here now. The best we can do now is question them. Peacefully. See if we can't figure out a way for William to finally get off of our backs. The one kid's gotta know something, he is William's son."

"How are we gonna go about questioning them? We can't... BEAT answers out of them, that's too cruel, and we can't go in there all sunshine and rainbows, either, they might take advantage of that." Matt thought out loud.

"I can help question them first. I've been told I can be intimidating enough." Keith offered.

"No debate there." Hunk joked.

"I'll help, too." Pidge said. "I want to get those answers myself."

"Are you sure? You were out there for hours today already. You should really rest."

Pidge placed a hand on Hunk's shoulder and nodded.

"I'll be alright. Hopefully this won't take long."

"What exactly are you gonna do to get answers out of 'em?" Lance questioned. "Personally I'd go for a little Good Cop, Bad Cop routine like in the movies."

"Maybe." Keith shrugged.

"Lance, look at us." Pidge pulled Keith's resting slight frown face down to be level with her resting almost-glare.

"Which one of us looks like a good cop?"

"Maybe we should question them at the same time? Then when we're done we can meet and see if their stories line up." Jade suggested.

"You know what, I like that idea." Pidge nodded along. "Keith and I can question the long haired one. Lorenzo, was it? He seemed like the tough guy."

"The other one, Bryan, we could probably use Lance's tactic on him." Matt cut in. "I can help question him. Lance, want to join me?"

"Hell yeah! I call bad cop!" He cheered.

"Let me know when you're ready to stop playing games and want some REAL answers." Jonas grumbled as he cracked the knuckles of one of his fists, before walking out of the room.

"Jesus CHRIST, how have none of you killed him yet?" Pidge shot a disgusted look at Grace.

Grace didn't reply, instead just shook her head.

"Alright, looks like we have our game plan. Adam, can you take over for Avery on the wall?" Shiro asked.

"Sure thing." Adam nodded, before leaving.

"What about James?" Keith piped up.

"He volunteered to take Marco's shift."

Keith turned away, instead looking back at Pidge.

"Ready to go question this guy?" He prompted.

"Hells yeah. Let's go." Her and Keith left the room shortly after.

Lance and Matt went to leave as well, when Colleen pulled Matt back.

"Be careful, alright? People can put up acts. That boy might act like he's afraid, but... you never know. Keep your guard up for me?"

Matt smiled and nodded.

"Of course, Mom." He gave her a quick hug as they left the room.

As everyone else slowly left to do their work, Hunk stopped Allura as she turned to leave.

"Allura, wait!" He called. "Is... Is Romelle okay?"

Allura was silent for a good amount of time. She finally turned around and faced him.

"She blames it on herself. For what happened, to... to Olivia." She revealed.

Hunk looked taken aback as he took in her words.

"She...? Why?"

"She said it was because she tripped, if she had just kept going then Olivia wouldn't have stopped..." Allura found it best to cut herself off. "She been like this for months. Ever since we got to the Holt's vacation home. She's been losing sleep. She thinks she has to stay awake 24/7 now, to protect me, and all of us, too. So nothing like that happens again."

Allura stepped closer to him.

"She thinks you blame her, Hunk."

"I-I don't... No! I don't blame her!" He blurted out, shaking his head rapidly.

"She needs to hear that. You have to talk to her. Please." Allura pleaded.

"Yeah. Yeah, I-I'll find her." Hunk nodded as he raced out of the room.

~~~~~

Romelle was speed walking down the hall. In her head, she heard the loud growls and moans of walkers, several gunshots going off as well. She blinked, screwing her eyes shut. In her mind, she remembered watching Iverson's body collapse on top of her. She remembered Hunk blindly shooting Joaquim through the head.

Romelle snapped open her eyes as she stormed into her and Allura's shared room. She collapsed against the bottom bunk bed and started to sob.

"Stop... Please... STOP!" She yelled as the growls and gunshots became louder.

At last, she grabbed her pillow and chucked it at the wall across the room. It hit the wall and landed at the feet of a figure. Romelle looked up, and her stomach dropped. Olivia's severely devoured body stood there, staring directly at her. A bullet hole was also present, right on her left temple.

"Did you do this to me?" Olivia's voice echoed from the mangled version of her standing there.

"No... N-No... NO! GO AWAY!" Romelle screamed.

Olivia's form began to walk closer. Romelle climbed into the bunk and scooted toward where the bed and the corner of the room met. Soon, Olivia was right at the side of the bed.

"Come here, Romelle." She ordered.

"Leave me alone! I-I-I didn't-!"

"Romelle."

"No!"

"Romelle!"

"NO!"

"ROMELLE!"

Romelle squeezed her eyes shut and opened them. Olivia's walking corpse was gone. In its place was Hunk, staring at her with panicked eyes.

"Romelle, oh my god, are you alright? I heard screaming coming from in here! Man, I thought you were being attacked by a walker!" He babbled as he slowly helped her come out from the bed.

"What happened?" He inquired as Romelle refused to look at him.

"I was... seeing s-something. Someone." She shuddered. "Someone I was responsible for."

Hunk seemed to put two and two together, and nodded slowly.

"Here, sit down next to me." He sat down on the bed and patted the spot beside him. "I wanna talk to you."

~~~~~

Just outside the door to the room where Bryan was being held, Lance and Matt approached. Before Matt could open the door, Elyse rounded the corner and spotted Lance.

"Hey, sweetheart." She cooed in an overly romantic voice. "I missed you today."

Lance leaned in and kissed her on the lips. Matt watched Lance's face shift uneasily.

"Missed you, too." Lance half-smiled.

"What do you say we go back to our room? Have a little... FUN?" Elyse smirked.

Lance chuckled, a hint of anxiety beneath it. He shot Matt a glance for help. Matt cleared his throat and gave Elyse a big grin.

"Sorry, we're a little busy right now. Lance is helping me question the people we brought back here. Maybe he can see you later." He shrugged.

Elyse glared at him and gritted her teeth, before looking back to Lance with a sweet smile.

"A shame... I'll come find you when you're done, Lancey! Toodles!" She gave him a wave and walked back down the hall.

Matt watched as Lance rubbed his forehead and let out a deep sigh. Instead of speaking up, he turned and opened the door.

Inside, Bryan sat on the bottom bunk bed, their left wrist chained to the metal bedpost. Allura was already in the room, sitting beside them. She had a small cloth in her hand and was busy wiping the blood off of their head from where Pidge had struck them.

"...Are you people gonna kill me and Lorenzo?" Bryan asked quietly as Allura finished cleaning the blood off.

Lance and Matt briefly locked eyes, then Lance approached them.

"Maybe. If you and him don't give us the answers we want." He threatened.

Bryan looked away as they lightly tugged at the cuff around their wrist.

"W-We don't know anything. Please... I mean, m-maybe we know something. What do you guys want? Just-Just tell me, and maybe I can help? You don't have to kill anyone." Bryan begged.

"Hey. Quiet. WE ask the questions here. Don't think you have the upper hand here. And don't look at me like that, either, or else I'll have to slap it off ya."

Bryan winced and leaned back. Matt pulled Lance back.

"Hey, ease up on him a little, Lance." Matt scolded.

"Th-Them. Um, it's-it's them. Not... him." Bryan interjected awkwardly.

"Oh, uh... THEM. Sorry. Ease up on them a little, Lance." Matt corrected.

"Come on, Matt! You going soft on me?" Lance taunted, then got back in Bryan's face. "What is your dad planning next, huh?!"

"I-I don't know! Why would he-?! Wait... W-Wait wait." Bryan suddenly looked down at the mattress of the bed. "This is the place... THIS is the hostile group."

Lance and Matt watched them think to themself as Allura stood up.

"Shit, I'm out of bandages. I'll be right back." She stood up and left the room.

Once she left, Lance turned back to Bryan.

"Hey! Don't zone out on us. Tell us what we want to know!"

"Please? Look, we really don't want to hurt you, let alone KILL you. We just want a way for this conflict to stop. It's been a month since your leader's been bothering us. It's a miracle we haven't lost anyone yet. If there's a way we can settle this... please, PLEASE, tell us." Matt sat down on the bed in front of Bryan.

Bryan looked up at him, and stared for a moment, before lightly chuckling to themself.

"What's so funny?" Lance interrogated.

"I know what you guys are doing." They revealed. "You're the one shouting insults and threats my way while the other one gets me to trust them. My parents did that to me all the time when they would yell at me. They still do."

Both Matt and Lance's faces softened.

"He's a damn liar, too. Let me guess, he started everything between you guys?" Bryan asked.

"Uh... yeah." Lance nodded.

"Of course... of fucking course..." They muttered. "How did it happen?"

"My sister, Pidge, the girl that... hit you over the head, said that she and some others were outside of the school month or so ago, and they saw your dad. She said that they all saw him... shoot two people in the legs and leave them to the walkers." Matt recalled. "Then he threatened our people when he spotted them and held them at gunpoint. Ever since then he's been showering up occasionally around the school."

Bryan went still and looked up at the ceiling.

"Jenny and Zach... oh, my god. He told us that you people killed them... It was him. It was ALL him!" Bryan shook their head and huffed.

"Sounds like your dad is one shit leader." Lance scoffed.

Bryan then started to laugh, and Matt approached them carefully.

"Are you... okay?"

Bryan wiped their eyes with their free hand and looked up at Matt.

"Oh, I'm fine. I just fucking hate my dad, that's all." They stopped, and looked around.

"Man, I've wanted to say that for years."

~~~~~

Romelle and Hunk sat beside each other. Romelle's eyes still had tears streaming from them.

"Romelle, you need to know. I do NOT blame you for what happened that day. Not at all." Hunk stated firmly.

"We only stopped because of me..."

"We did, yes. But your ankle was hurt. My mom was hurt, too. She decided to stay behind. She WANTED to help us. You didn't cause anything, Romelle! My mom made a choice, one that let you get back to Allura, and me get back to my dad. You don't have to feel responsible anymore. I know you aren't, and so does Allura and everyone else. Jonas is just... an asshole."

Romelle wiped the tears from her eyes and finally made eye contact with him.

"You're telling the truth?" She asked.

"Of course I am! Why would I lie to you? You're my friend, Romelle. You always will be." Hunk pulled Romelle close as the two of them hugged.

"Thank you." Romelle murmured as she pulled away.

"You're welcome." Hunk smiled.

~~~~~

At the foot of the steps leading to the Robinson house, Sam, Audrey, Max, and Jace stood around one another.

"So, who wants to be it?" Max shrugged, letting out a nervous chuckle.

"Oh, NOT me." Jace stuck his hands out. "Last thing I want is to get called some racial slur. Again."

"Jace has a point. Perhaps Audrey and Max going up there would be... better." Sam gestured to her and Jace. "And I do NOT feel like dealing with him."

"Of course it's me." Max sighed.

"Oh, relax, buddy. I got your back." Audrey winked.

The two of them started walking up the steps to the house. Sam and Jace watched from the bottom.

"Good luck." Jace nodded.

At the door, Audrey raised her hand into a fist and looked to Max.

"Here goes nothing." She sighed, before she knocked on the door three times.

"It's quiet in there. Surprised they aren't screaming at each other." Max whispered.

The door opened only a second later. Deborah stood on the other side, and when she saw them, she smiled.

"Hey, kids! Is something the matter?" She asked.

"Hey, Mrs. Robinson." Audrey gave a polite wave. "Can we talk to William? It's... kinda important."

Deborah looked confused, but nodded and stepped to the side.

"Sure. Come on in." She gestured inside the house.

Audrey and Max came inside. In the living room, they saw William sitting in a chair talking to an elderly woman. When the kids entered the room, the woman turned and smiled.

"Oh, I know you! You're Bryan's little friends, right? He always talks about you guys." She chuckled.

"Hi Bryan's grandma." Max waved.

"What do you kids need?" William asked as he stood up.

He approached them, and Max subtly clutched Audrey's arm and gulped.

"Well... the four of us have been hanging out and we were just worried, because..." Audrey stammered, "we-we haven't seen Bryan, or our other friend, Lorenzo in a couple hours. We're worried they may have, um, left? We've looked everywhere and we can't find them."

William's body tensed. Behind them, Deborah put a hand to her mouth.

"You're saying Bryan went OUTSIDE the walls?" She asked incredulously.

"I-I think so." Max lied. "We looked everywhere, s-so I don't know where else they'd be at."

William narrowed his eyes when a thought stuck him.

"I know exactly where they are. Thank you kids for telling me about this. I think my son is in the hands of some very bad people. Mom, you should go." He turned to face his mother.

"Oh, please, Billy. I can handle hearing-."

"Lucia. This is a serious matter. We need to be alone for this." Deborah cut her off.

Lucia glared, but stood up and led Audrey and Max to the door of the house.

"I may be an 80 year old woman, but I don't need to be treated like a damn child." She scoffed.

Lucia, Audrey, and Max descend the steps of the house as Deborah shuts the door again.

"I don't know where my son picked up that terrible attitude of his. Jack and I raised him better." Lucia shook her head.

"Well... maybe there's still time for him to get better. Or... not, I dunno I'm bad at being optimistic!" Max said.

At the bottom of the stairs, George had arrived beside Jace and Sam.

"So, how'd it go?" Sam asked.

"As well as it could. He's probably gonna send a team out looking for Bryan and Lorenzo." Audrey informed.

"He'll probably go himself. Billy never knows when to step back." Lucia added.

"Mrs. Robinson, do you need any help getting home?" George offered.

"That would be lovely, thank you, sir." Lucia smiled as George took her by the hand and led her down the street.

"Alright, so... do WE have a plan?" Jace broke the silence.

Before anyone could reply, a short whisper came from behind them.

"Hey... Hey! Over here!"

Audrey and Sam turned, and saw Shawn standing just next to the house next door.

"Come here!"

The four of them discreetly walked over to where Shawn was hiding.

"Shawn? What the hell are you doing in the bushes?" Sam eyed him up and down.

"I was walking by and overheard William from inside. Those bad people he mentioned? They aren't who he says they are. He's been lying about them to everyone this whole time. I think he's right that Bryan and Lorenzo are with them, but I think he's going to go there, and do something he might regret." Shawn said.

"Shoot... maybe we shouldn't have told him." Max panicked.

"Wait, what else has he been lying about? This can't have been everything." Sam inquired.

A noise from inside the Robinson house made them all turn. Shawn looked back at them and shook his head.

"Can't tell you here, it's too risky. Meet me tomorrow, behind one of the houses. Watch for me, and I'll signal you on where to follow." He whispered.

"Alright." Sam nodded.

With their time set, Shawn broke off from the four of them as they all walked off, pretending to act like everything was fine.

~~~~~

Keith sat in a chair across from Lorenzo. Pidge was pacing back and forth behind him. Lorenzo eyed them both with an indifferent stare on his face.

"Maybe we should take a break. We've been at this for almost half an hour and he hasn't said shit." Pidge spoke up.

"We need answers, Pidge." Keith stressed.

"Let me know when you get him to say something." She rolled her eyes.

Lorenzo narrowed his eyes at Pidge.

"You hit my partner over the head with a gun." He spat.

"So, you do speak." Pidge grumbled. "And... I regret that, yes."

"How do I know you aren't going to torture us? Kill us? You've said you don't want to, but everyone lies about something."

Pidge pulled over a chair and sat down.

"I'm gonna be honest. Us... capturing you both was a heat of the moment decision. I'm sorry it went down how it did, now we just need answers." She leaned in a little closer. "We have to know; is there any room to... negotiate with William? Work out some kind of deal? A trade system? He's damn near killed some of us before. Others here, they've wanted to retaliate, strike back, but we've tried to hold them back. I've been losing sleep over this. Growing desperate and reckless. PLEASE. Give us something."

Lorenzo eyed the both of them, then let out a deep sigh.

"Have you hurt them?"

"Who?" Keith raised an eyebrow.

"Bryan. Have you hurt them? I'll explain things as best I can to you guys, as long as you promise you haven't hurt them."

"No. No, we haven't hurt them at all. Well... starting after the whole gun thing..." Pidge replied.

"You SWEAR?"

"I have Lance and my brother questioning them. Lance couldn't hurt a fly, and Matt tends to see violence as a last resort. Soooo, cross my heart and hope to die, man."

"...Alright." Lorenzo shifted his body and looked them both in the eyes. "William is an extremely hateful person. If I'm being honest with you, a lot of the people there can be hateful. Not all of them, of course. Bryan and I, we have a few other friends there. We're all pretty much the only people who aren't exactly adults yet, and yet we seem to be the only people who don't act like dicks. Anyway, William likes to pick fights with people. Hell, even his own wife. He's mean, he's abusive, and he lies to our people. Whenever something goes wrong, he... he's been pinning it on the 'bandits' that live in the woods. No surprise here to assume that he's been referring to your group. He's been making the people angry, angry at you people. If you ask me?"

Lorenzo leaned in a little.

"He needs to be taken the fuck OUT. He's a shit-stain on this world, and maybe if we get him out of the way, we can try and convince everyone else to stand down as well, and work out some kind of agreement."

Pidge and Keith listened in silent surprise.

"Jesus Christ... there's no end with this guy, is there?" Keith scoffed.

Pidge didn't say anything for a while, until she walked over to Lorenzo's cuffed wrist and unlocked it. He rubbed his now free wrist and looked up at her, confused.

"Come with me." Her face had softened as she helped him stand up.

~~~~~

Matt unlocked the handcuff around Bryan's wrist as they sat up straight.

"Thank you." They murmured.

"No problem. Sorry about all of this. We just had to be cautious. For all we know you could've been crazy loyal to your dad."

"Oh, god no. Not to be dramatic but fuck him. If he was fighting off a pack of biters, that'd be the one time I'd be betting on the biter."

"Jeez... that sounds a little extreme." Lance commented.

"He's done more than yell at me." Bryan turns their cheek and shows Lance a faint red mark on it.

"Oh... forget I said anything, then." He quickly backtracked.

"Life before this was... not fun to say the least. My favorite spot on weekend afternoons was the park swing around the corner. Nobody could see or hear me crying there. I just... want to be away from him. For good."

Matt sat down beside them again and looked at them.

"Well... maybe we can... arrange that." He smiled.

Just then, the room's door opened again. Allura, Windy, and Pidge entered the room.

"Sorry it took me so long to get back. Silvio hurt his knee while playing outside so I stopped to patch him up. I had Windy carry the medical bag for me." Allura explained.

"Glad I could be of use somehow." Windy joked with a small smile as she handed the bag to Allura, who sat back down beside Bryan to apply a bandage to their forehead.

"Never thought I'd here someone nicknamed 'Windy'." Bryan smiled.

"Hey, it puts a nice spin on boring old Wendy, to be fair." She replied.

Bryan suddenly looked up, meeting Windy's gaze.

"Holy shit... Wendy? Wendy Srinivasan, right? It's me, Bryan? We were friends in high school before you got accepted into the Garrison?" Bryan's face lit up.

Windy thought for a moment, then she snapped her fingers and gasped.

"I remember you! Jeez, man, small world, am I right?"

"Wait, you two know each other?" Matt pointed between the both of them.

"We go back a few years. Wendy and I were pretty close near the beginning of high school, end of middle school era. When she got accepted into the Galaxy Garrison, we, uh, kinda lost contact. The back of my mind always tried to tell me it was on purpose, but I knew that couldn't be true." Bryan revealed.

"The Garrison was stupid as hell. They only gave us limited amounts of calls per week. Now that I say that it sounds like a damn prison. I'd call my parents, but I swear I didn't forget about our friendship." Windy promised.

"Come here." Bryan stood as Allura finished adhering the bandage to their forehead. They and Windy embraced each other in a hug.

"Hold on. What happened to your arm?!"

"I got bit."

"BIT?! And you lived?!"

"Keith chopped it off like... immediately."

"It's true!" Keith chimed in from near the door.

"Jeez..."

"Also I have a boyfriend now!"

"Windy, I don't think that compares to having your arm chopped off from a walker bite."

"Maybe not, I just wanted to say it."

Lorenzo and the others couldn't help but quietly laugh along as Bryan and Windy went back and forth.

"Well, now that that rather charming reunion is out of the way," Pidge began, "I want to say something."

She walked over to Bryan and held out her hand for them to shake. Bryan shook it as she started to speak again.

"My name is Katie Holt, or Pidge, if you will. I help run this place, known as Redwood Boarding School. You and your boyfriend each gave us... similar stories. And since we kind of got the sneak attack on you earlier, you clearly didn't have the time to come up with a fake story either. What I'm trying to say is; so far you both have been very cooperative, and you seem like genuinely good people. Something that isn't so common these days. Even in ourselves. I heard how your dad is far from a peachy person, and I wanted to... offer you and Lorenzo a place among our group." Pidge finished.

At that moment, Keith walked in with Lorenzo in front of him. Bryan ran and launched themself into Lorenzo's arms, starting to cry.

"Lorenzo! Th-Thank god..." They whispered, their voice muffled in his shirt.

"You okay? They didn't do anything to you?" He asked.

"No. No, I'm fine. These people are better than we thought." Bryan turned back to face Pidge.

"What do you two say? Will you make this place your new home?" Pidge asked again.

Lorenzo looked at Bryan, who was looking back. They nodded.

"We... We will." Lorenzo agreed.

"Awesome!" Windy wrapped her arm over Bryan's shoulder as the two laughed together.

"I know you mentioned that you had friends back at your community. Maybe we could arrange a way to sneak them out as well in a few days." Pidge added.

"Seriously? Thank you, Pidge." Bryan said.

"Not a problem. And... as my first action of welcoming you to our group. I would like to... formally apologize. I'm sorry for hitting you over the head." She looked away, embarrassed.

"It's alright. I don't seem to have a concussion, so..." They shrugged.

Pidge let out a small laugh, then looked around.

"Well, this room here can be yours. You can take the rest of the day to gather your thoughts and rest. We'll have you meet everyone else tomorrow morning."

Everyone proceeded out of the door, Windy being last. She turned back and looked at the two of them.

"I'm glad I got to see you again, Bryan."

"You too, Windy."

Windy nodded and politely shut the door as she left. Bryan and Lorenzo were alone in the room. Lorenzo walked over to the beds and rubbed his hand along the mattress.

"What do you make of all this?" Bryan questioned.

"I think... it'll be a nice fresh start. Plaht City felt toxic and closed off. This place? This place feels like a family." He answered.

Bryan walked over to the closet inside the room. They opened it and looked inside. A small box inside caught their attention as they grabbed it and set it down on the table.

"What's that?" Lorenzo inquired.

Bryan opened it up. Inside were some colored pencils, erasers, safety scissors, and clue. Craft supplies. They closed it again, and began to quietly laugh and nod.

"We did it, Lorenzo. We actually did it." They turned to face him. "We found the good. This place is the good. These people are the good. WE'RE the good."

Both of them sat down on the bed and looked out the window, where some sunlight was casting into the room.

"Yeah... we did find the good." Lorenzo agreed.

~~~~~

Inside the Robinson house, William and Deborah stood in the kitchen. William was pacing back and forth as Deborah watched.

"Will you stop that? You're making me nervous." She snapped.

"What, you expect me to turn on the fucking football game? Those fuckers from the school have my son, I know it for a fact." He retorted.

"Okay, so what're you gonna do about it?"

"I'm going to march down to them, and kill anyone I have to to get him back."

Deborah scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Do you always have to have a violent solution for everything? Jesus Christ, you sound like a serial killer." She remarked.

"Get real, Deb! I'm not going to show up there with my hands up, lie on the ground, and let them piss all over me. They took hostages. Action needs to be TAKEN."

"You sound so dramatic. Maybe you will have to do something, maybe you will have to kill, but you need to calm down."

"I am calm!" He yelled.

"You know what, I think you should stay back here. Send others out to do this instead."

"Are you actually being serious right now?! That's my SON out there! Why the hell aren't YOU pushing yourself to go?!"

"You really think he'll want to see YOU first thing? After you HIT him across the fucking face?!"

William seemed to back off, instead exhaling and shaking his head.

"I'll talk to him about it when I get back. I'm going first thing tomorrow with a group of people." He declared.

"What are you gonna tell the people who go with you? Shoot and kill the people living in that school?"

"Only if they try something first. It'll just be threats to start."

"You sound fucking insane. Do you hear yourself?" Deborah asked incredulously. "Why don't you tell these people the truth for once?"

"The less they know, the better, and unless you don't want Bryan back, this is how it's gonna get done." He spat. "I'm going to go see how the church progress is going."

William turned and stormed out of the room and toward the front door.

"HEY! BILL, COME BACK HERE!" Deborah yelled after him, but William opened and slammed the door as he walked out.

Deborah put a hand on her head and groaned.

~~~~~

The sun had set over Redwood. In the halls, Allura bid a good night to Ryan, Windy, Grace, and Jade. As she headed to her room, Hunk and Romelle approached from the other direction.

"Hey, you two! Haven't seen you since earlier. Did everything... go okay?" She asked.

Hunk and Romelle looked at each other and smiled.

"Yeah. Everything's good." Romelle nodded.

"Well, I'm glad." Allura held Romelle's hand as she pulled her in for a quick hug.

"See you back in our room?" Romelle blinked innocently.

"Of course." Allura leaned in and kissed her on the lips. "Keep the bed warm for me!" She called as Romelle walked away.

Once she was out of earshot, she turned back to Hunk.

"Thank you for talking to her. She needed to hear that from you."

"I really should've talked to her about this sooner. I can't believe she would think that I hated her..." Hunk looked down, guilty.

"Hey, it's nobody's fault. What happened... happened. We can't blame anyone but the cruel gods of this world." Allura shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Hunk titled his head.

Before they could parts ways, Shay ran up behind Hunk.

"Hunk! Hi! Uh, the door to Star and I's room is jammed. Can you get it unstuck for us? You're... pretty strong, heh." Shay's cheeks flushed a light shade of red.

Hunk's eyes bulged a little, and Allura raised her eyebrows teasingly at him.

"U-Uh... Yeah! I'll be right there!" He smiled and nodded.

"Great! Thank you!" She gave him a quick hug and went back down the hall.

Hunk and Allura looked at each other silently.

"So, she's pretty cute, right?" Allura winked.

"Leave me alone!" Hunk waved her off playfully. "If you'll excuse me, this strongman has a door to unstick."

Hunk turned his chin up and walked off in the same direction as Shay did. Allura just laughed to herself and went toward her room.

Inside one of the rooms, Lance entered, spotting Elyse sitting on the bed. When she saw him, she leaped up and engulfed him in a hug.

"UMPH! H-Hello to you, too." Lance rasped as the wind was knocked out of his stomach.

"God, I feel like it's been so long since we had time alone together." Her hands trailed down his chest toward his waist. "I want to take our relationship to another level."

A bead of sweat rolled down Lance's forehead.

"A-Are you sure... I don't know." He stammered.

"I'm sure. And I want it to be with you." She murmured, hooking a few fingers in the waistband of his jeans.

Lance fidgeted as he grew uneasy.

"I've never... had... sex. I don't know if I'm ready." He rubbed the back of his head.

Elyse pouted and looked up at him.

"Please? If you really loved me you'd do it with me." She pleaded.

Lance bit his lip and held out his hands.

"I do love you, I just-!"

"Then have sex with me." She whispered to him, a playful smirk growing on her face.

Lance's face felt hot as Elyse touched his body. He blinked tightly and let out a deep sigh.

"Alright... Okay, fine. I'll do it with you." He relented.

"Thanks, babe." Elyse kissed him on the cheek, before immediately helping him lift off his shirt and toss it aside.

As they rolled into the bed, and both of their pants were flung off, Lance looked up at Elyse, who was sitting on top of him, their bodies touching.

"Elyse, I-..."

"Shhh... Just relax, and let me take control." She whispered.

Lance didn't say anything as Elyse slipped her hands down between his legs. He just closed his eyes and waited for it it to be over.

A little over ten minutes passed by, and Lance and Elyse were laying side by in the bed, Elyse panting.

"That was amazing..." She sighed, wrapping her arms around Lance's back.

"Yeah..." He said.

He said nothing more as she held him and slowly drifted to sleep. Lance stayed awake for a few hours, just staring at the wall in front of him until sleep finally overtook him.

~~~~~

The next morning, Grace and Pidge opened the main doors leading into the courtyard of Redwood. Bryan and Lorenzo walked behind them.

"Welcome home." Grace extended an arm out to showcase the courtyard.

They looked on as they saw several others milling about nearby. Hunk was talking with his father. The two of them embraced, then Marcus patted him on the shoulder and walked away. Silvio, Nadia, and Lukas were running around and laughing near one of the walls with sticks in their hands as Luis watched them carefully.

"You guys have young kids here..." Bryan pointed out. "Would've thought they'd all be dead by now."

"We've got a stable group going here. Maybe if your dad gets off our backs soon, we'll be able to find others to take in." Grace explained.

"Well, make yourselves at home. Don't be afraid to talk to some people, make some friends." Pidge insisted.

Bryan and Lorenzo waved to them, then walked down into the courtyard. They passed Curtis, Spencer, and Jake, who stopped talking amongst themselves to smile and wave at them.

"Hey! Bry! Over here!"

Bryan and Lorenzo turned their head and saw Windy waving them over to where a large group of people were gathered, talking amongst themselves.

"Time to put your expert people skills to good use." Lorenzo teased.

"Oh, shut it." Bryan hissed.

The two of them walked over to the group of people, consisting of Windy, Ryan, Keith, Adam, Shiro, Rizavi, Marco, Damien, Shay, Star, Lance, Elyse, Avery, Veronica, and Hunk.

"Hey, newbies." Keith nodded to them.

"Hey." Lorenzo greeted.

"Sorry about the whole... sword on your neck thing."

"It's cool. If the roles were switched I would've been the same."

"So, what are you two good at? Got any special skills you can contribute to the group?" Adam inquired.

"Adam." Shiro scolded.

"What? I'm just asking." He defended.

"Give them time to relax first. They had a pretty... eventful day yesterday."

"Well, I'm pretty fast on my feet. I could help with supply runs." Bryan shrugged. "On the other hand, I'm... not an expert with the biters. I can kill them, I'm just not too experienced."

"I've got a good eye. I could help keep watch on the walls." Lorenzo looked to Adam, who nodded.

"Alright, then."

"So, anyway, I'm Lorenzo."

"And I'm Bryan."

"Nice to meet you guys. I'm Shiro. This is my husband, Adam. That's Hunk, Lance, Lance's sister Veronica, Elyse, Hunk, Avery, Ryan, Shay, Star, Damien, Keith, Nadia, and Marco." Shiro pointed to each person around the group, who each said hello and gave them a smile.

Elyse, however, rolled her eyes.

"Is there a problem, Queen Elyse?" Damien scoffed.

"You guys are really trusting these obvious SPIES?" She sneered.

"Bryan's not a spy. I've known them since even before this. They're a good person." Windy defended them.

"Elyse, maybe give them some slack... I-." Lance started, but Elyse suddenly launched up from her seat.

"What the HELL?! You're siding with them?! Ugh, screw you!" She punched Lance in the arm, hard.

"Elyse! What the fuck?!" Avery looked at her in shock at what she did.

Elyse said nothing, instead scowling at Bryan and Lorenzo and storming off.

Everyone watched in silence as Lance rubbed his arm.

"What a fucking bitch..." Avery grumbled as he stormed away as well.

"...I'll go talk to her." Lance quickly stood up and jogged away after her.

"Lance!" Veronica yelled after him, but he was out of earshot. "She's not good for him. She's... toxic." Veronica shook her head.

"I've tried talking to him about it before, but it's like she has him wrapped around her finger." Marco sighed.

"Bitches really be crazy." Rizavi joked.

"Nadia. Not the time." Ryan looked over at her with an unamused expression.

"Right. Sorry."

"I do feel bad for Lance. He's a good guy, doesn't deserve to be roped into her mind games. I feel like we should've warned him before she got to him." Damien shook his head.

"We don't talk about it a lot, but... Elyse is probably one of the more messed up people who got sent here. She had another boyfriend before the world ended. She was abusive with him, too. He was able to break up with her, but she antagonized and stalked him for so long after, drove him to SUICIDE. His family took her to court over it and she outright admitted to telling him to do it. Instead of sending her to a juvenile prison, they sent her here, thinking maybe she just needed some 'rehabilitation'. Personally... that didn't seem like the right call." Shay explained.

Everyone listened in stunned silence. Shay looked at them, then looked down at the ground.

"Good going, Debbie Downer." Star muttered.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to kill the conversation." Shay apologized.

"Heh... no worries, Shay!" Hunk smiled politely. "Why don't we talk about something... lighter for now?"

"Works for me." Rizavi agreed.

Ryan looked back over at Bryan and Lorenzo, then over at Windy next to him.

"Hey, you got any crazy stories from when you knew them? You guys ever... steal someone's car? Egg someone's house?" He smirked.

"What? No! We weren't the degenerates of the school! I know we've done SOME things together, though. Ooh! One time, we combined our money and bought a large poster of our favorite character from a TV show and plastered it over the school principal's office door. Nobody ever figured out it was us." Windy revealed.

"Oh my GOD I totally forgot we did that!" Bryan gasped.

"Jeez, Windy, you were a wild child." Ryan teased.

Shay looked over at Bryan.

"Hey, Bryan? You said you're not good with biters yet, right? Well, if you're interested in getting better with weapons and killing biters, you should come to our weapons training. James runs the class, and he's a good teacher. Star's in it, too. We're having another one in a couple days." She explained.

"Yep. There's always room for more people." James added.

"Looks like Star can finally have someone to rival during the lessons." Shay lightly jabbed her sister in her side.

"Hey! I'm learning!" She retorted.

"I don't mean any offense by this, but... where did the name STAR come from?" Lorenzo questioned.

"Lorenzo!" Bryan hissed.

"Simple. Our parents were huge astronomy buffs. Guess they projected it onto me." She shrugged.

"I just want to know who came up with the name Lorenzo." He huffed.

"Oh, stop! Lorenzo is a beautiful name." Bryan rubbed their arm reassuringly.

"I think I’m gonna get an early start on cooking up tonight’s dinner." Hunk spoke up. "Anyone want to help me in the kitchen?"

"I will!" Shay immediately raised her hand.

"Sure, I'm down for some cooking." Veronica nodded.

"Count me in, too! I call being the taste tester!" Rizavi bounced up and down like a child on Christmas.

"Alright, come on, then!" Hunk stood and started to walk away, but stopped as he passed Bryan and Lorenzo.

"Don't worry about what anyone says. You are welcome here." He placed a hand on Bryan's shoulder, then continued on his way.

"I'm gonna go back on guard. Call me down when dinner is ready." James turned to leave.

"What the hell, James? You've been on watch all day! Take a rest." Keith crossed his arms over his chest.

"Dude, I'm fine. Don't act like some overprotective parent." James waved him off.

"You're not keeping watch alone."

"He's not. I'll help him." Ryan declared as he stood up. "I'll see you when dinner's ready, 'kay?"

"Alright. Love you." Windy gave him a quick kiss as she's stood up with him.

Ryan and James headed off toward the guard post as Windy walked away.

"Just yell for me if you need anything!" Keith called after James.

"Damn, Keith. You're hounding him more intense than a bloodhound." Adam teased.

"His behavior is lining up with self-destructive behavioral patterns. I was like that, too, once. Still am, kind of... I don't want to see anyone feel how I felt for a while." Keith shook his head.

"I get what you mean. I don't know if it's the same, but a couple years before all this happened, I would always forget to take care of myself, I wouldn't eat or drink enough. Having caring friends is part of the reason why I got better." Bryan admitted.

"Oh, yeah. Lorenzo mentioned you guys have some other friends back at your old community. What are they like?" Keith asked.

Bryan chuckled and moved some of their hair out of their face.

"Jace is a real sweetheart. He's always got people's best interest in mind. He's a bit shy but he's great. Audrey's our class clown. She always keeps our spirits up with her antics. When she gets serious, it's... kinda unsettling. Max is... kind of afraid of his own shadow. He's actually never killed any biters before. He does his best to help whenever he can, but the others protect him. Sam... she's a literal badass. She's rather new, she took on almost an entire herd of biters by herself before our community found her and took her in. She could probably kick anyone's ass if she wanted to." Bryan finally stopped talking as Keith, Adam, Damien, and Shiro listened intently.

"I miss them." They suddenly blurted out.

"You and me both. God, it's been hours since we left, they're probably worried sick." Lorenzo looked at the sky.

"They're probably forming their own search party to go find us, if they aren't already out there-!" Bryan started to joke, but they suddenly sat up straight.

"...Shit. Oh, shit, shit, SHIT!" They shot up and started speedwalking toward the school.

Lorenzo, Keith, Adam, Damien, and Shiro all sprang up and caught up with them.

"Bryan! Bryan, woah! What the hell's gotten into you?!" Lorenzo questioned.

"I need to go to talk to Pidge! A-And Grace!" They tried to turn and sprint, but Lorenzo grabbed their arm.

"Why?!"

"We've been gone for so long, our friends might've taken extreme measures. They might've gone to see my DAD!" Bryan yelled.

"Oh, shit..." Lorenzo's eyes went wide and he let go of Bryan.

"He could be on his way here this damn second!"

The six of them run inside the building until they reach the headmaster's office. Shiro burst through the door first, followed by the others.

Pidge, Colleen, Grace, Jade, Tara, and Jonas were inside. Upon seeing them, they all stopped and turned to look at them.

"Great, what now?" Jonas scoffed.

"I need to tell you something. This is urgent." Bryan panted.

"What's wrong?" Grace asked.

"Jeez, you're sweatin' more than than me back down south!" Tara exclaimed. "What's got you so worked up, hon?"

"So, uh... There's a chance that my dad is on his way here. To come and get me." Bryan revealed.

"Oh, fuck." Jade put her hands on her head.

"How can you be sure of this?" Colleen asked.

"I know my friends. I know they wouldn't want to, but to get both of us back they'd go to my dad and tell him we're out here, which I'm certain is what they've done." Bryan explained. "Since my dad has been using you all as a scapegoat for his shitty actions, there’s no debate that he’s coming straight here.”

"Of FUCKING course!" Jonas kicked open the door and stomped out, nearly bumping into Adam as he did so.

"Jonas! Goddammit! Jonas!" Tara groaned as she followed after him.

"Pidge, what are we gonna do about this?" Grace turned to her.

Pidge gripped the desk with her hands as everyone turned to her. She took a deep breath and looked up at them.

"We have to prepare. If William really is coming... this could get ugly." She declared.

~~~~~

Carter and Luna walked side by side down the streets of Plaht City.

"Are you sure you have to go with them?" Luna asked.

"I'm sure. William asked for volunteers, so I did. Besides, Bryan and Lorenzo are cool kids. If I'm able to help get them both back, then I will." Carter nodded.

The two of them approach the main gate, where William is waiting with some others. Layla and Andrés are there, along with a long brown haired man, a younger dark skinned girl, and an older white man with a gray beard.

"Be safe, alright?" Luna tilted her head and smiled at Carter.

"Of course." He leaned down and kissed her on the lips.

"Good. You're here." William said as he noticed Carter.

"Yep! I'm... ready to go." Carter nodded as Luna waved goodbye to both him and Layla.

William handed Carter a pistol along with the others.

"Are we... killing people?" The brown haired man, Evan, asked.

"Only if they put up a fight. I just want to get my son back first." William replied.

"The way you talk about these guys makes them sound like bad news. Why not just take them out now?" The other girl, Jeanette, rolled her eyes.

"Calm down, Jeanette. This is probably the first time you've held a gun. We aren't going to be shooting everyone inside that school the second we see them!" Andrés retorted.

"What would you know?! You're barely out of John's weapon training class!"

"Hey! Stop fightin'!" Peter tried to calm the situation by stepping in between them.

William also stepped in between them and glared at them both.

"Enough! Both of you!" He shouted.

"We're supposed to be getting his kid back, NOT being at each other's throats! Pull your heads out of your asses and let's go!" Layla yelled to them as she placed a hand on the main gate.

"Yes, she's right. We're wasting time." William looked up to the guard post to the man standing up there.

"Open the gate, Ren!" He ordered.

"Roger that!" Ren nodded and pressed the button that opened the gate.

William, Carter, Layla, Evan, Jeanette, Andrés, and Peter all stepped beyond the walls. From behind them, Sam, Max, Audrey, and Jace watched them leave as Ren shut the gates once again.

"Lead the way, boss man." Peter waved a hand out down the open road.

"With pleasure." William started to march down the street, everyone following behind.

A walker came limping out from the woods, growling at them. It had blood running down it's face as deep gashes in its face, neck, and chest were present, the deepest one ran all the way across its throat. William aimed and shot it in the head without hesitation.

Carter fell behind everyone else as he slowed down. He stared at the walker's corpse for only a second. He winced as he imagined his own scenario of how this walker died while alive, getting sliced all over its body. He looked up, only hesitating for a second, before he jogged and caught up with the rest of the rescue party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh boy next chapter should be fun!!!


	4. Bridges We Burn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonds are broken and lines are drawn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING
> 
> This chapter includes enhanced themes of suicide and homophobic slurs. Read at your own risk.

Pidge, Grace, and Jade walked down the hall towards the exit of the school, followed by Bryan and the others who had gone inside with them.

"Okay... shit we’re gonna need to talk about this. Grace, Jade, can you make sure everyone is around outside so they can hear this?" Pidge requested.

"Gotcha." Jade nodded as she sprinted out of the doors first.

"Copy that." Grace followed after her.

As Pidge and the others burst outside, everyone's attention was drawn to them. Lance and Elyse came jogging out from around the side of the building.

"Yo, Pidge, what's going on?" Lance asked.

Pidge doesn't immediately respond, and before she can, Hunk, Veronica, Shay, and Nadia appeared behind her, having followed them out.

"What's the commotion about? Are we having a party?" Rizavi joked.

"No. Uh, quite the opposite, in fact," Pidge began, "William's coming back again."

Everyone listening let out hushed murmurs.

"What's the big deal about this time? He's bothered us here before. Can't we just fight him off like usual?" Jake suggested.

"Well, all the others times he came around, we didn't have his child here as a hostage. Or, a hostage to his knowledge." Pidge explained.

"Knowing dear old Dad, he's probably not going to be all sunshine and rainbows when he shows." Bryan chimed in.

"We can handle a grumpy old man." Keith shrugged.

"Yeah, but can you handle him backed by several other people with guns trained on you?" Lorenzo retorted.

"Well..."

"I've seen you with your sword out there. You're good, don't get me wrong, but swords won't beat guns."

"I don't want this to cause trouble..." Bryan wrang their hands together nervously, "M-Maybe when he shows up, I should just go with him."

"Bryan, no!" Lorenzo insisted.

"Why not? Maybe I can sweet talk him into leaving this place alone if I go back." They reasoned.

"I'm not letting you put yourself back in that toxic situation for us!"

"We'll... We'll figure something out." Shiro reassured him, "Until then, we're putting snipers on the roof and a few extra guards on the wall. Grace and Jade will tell you what you're doing."

The crowd began to disperse. With Bryan storming off around the side of the school in a rush, Lorenzo following after them quickly. Lance approached Pidge and Shiro slowly.

"Hey you guys, I was just thinking... maybe I could help on the wall? I'm a good shot with a rifle, as you know." He asked.

"I don't see why not. You're definitely not wrong. You're a much better shot than me." Shiro turned to Pidge, who scratched her head in thought.

"Actually... I think you should be down with me when we confront William. You're our sharpshooter, so in case we need to make a quick shot at ground zero, you're our guy." Pidge decided.

"Awesome! Thanks, Pidgeon. Won't let you down." Lance winked.

"What about me?! Can I help on the wall?" Silvio's cry made Lance spin around to face him.

Lance kneeled down to eye level with his nephew.

"Silvio, buddy... it's too dangerous for you up there." He explained.

"But I've been getting better at using a gun!" Silvio protested.

"I know you have. I promise, your time will come when you can help, okay? Just not today." Lance patted him on the arm, "Now go play with your sister, alright?"

Silvio seemed satisfied with the answer and turned and ran over to where Nadia was sitting.

"He's got enthusiasm, I'll give him that." Shiro commented.

"Yeah," Lance agreed, "that's what worries me."

Over by the main gate, Romelle stood just behind it, watching the dirt road through the slightly rusty bars.

"You good down there, Romelle?" Jake called from the guard post right next to her.

"Yeah! Just... thought you could use an extra pair of eyes from ground level." Romelle explained.

"Fair point. We appreciate the help." Jake smiled, before turning back to watch over the wall, alongside Marcus.

Romelle did so as well, until a pair of footsteps behind her caught her attention. She turned around, only to be face to face with Allura.

"What're you doing?" Allura questioned.

"Uhh, I'm helping watch for William when he comes." She answered.

"You don't think the three watch posts we have around the walls can handle that?"

"I... Well..."

"Romelle... I thought we talked through this back at the house. And you had that conversation with Hunk. Is everything still okay?" Allura extended her hand out, and Romelle grabbed it.

"I'm fine now, 'Lura, I swear. Hunk helped talk me through everything that's been happening since Olivia, and I understand it now. But I'm still taking what happened as a learning experience. I'm not going to let anyone's life be put at risk because of me anymore. I'm going to keep my shit together and stay vigilant 24/7. It's the only way I can be sure that everyone is safe." Romelle let out a quick huff and turned to face the gate again.

"...Okay. But you can't expect to stay awake and on watch for every waking moment. So please, PLEASE, don't overwork yourself. If you feel tired, you get someone to cover for you. Promise?" Allura walked up closer and rested her chin on her shoulder.

"Promise." Romelle replied after a second of silence. She grabbed Allura's hand again and kissed it.

"Hey, um..."

Both women turned around to see Bryan standing there.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but... when they get here, just let me know, alright? I'm gonna leave with them and keep this from escalating." Bryan explained.

"Oh... sure thing. If that's what you really want." Allura nodded.

"It... It is." They agreed after a moment of hesitation, before they turned and briskly walked away and inside the school without waiting for an answer.

Romelle and Allura exchanged worried glances.

~~~~~

"Why in the actual hell are we doing this?!" Sam hissed by Audrey's side as the two of them approached the Robinson house alone.

"Because. We know Bryan's Dad's whole story, but maybe Bryan's Mom will give us a more... accurate story." Audrey explained.

"This is such a waste of time." Sam scoffed as she knocked on the door.

"Zip it with the grouchy comments and put on a polite face." Audrey whispered back just before the door opened.

Deborah stood on the other side and smiled.

"Oh, hey girls. Anything I can do for you?" She asked.

"Hi, Mrs. Robinson!" Audrey greeted in an overly cheerful tone, "We just had a question, but it's... kind of serious. Can we come in?"

Deborah's eyes flicked past the girls, then she nodded.

"Of course." She ushered them inside and shut the door.

The three of them entered the living room and sat down on the furniture.

"So, um... Mr. Robinson got pretty upset about the group he believes Bryan is with. We were just wondering why? Is there some history that us and then have?" Audrey asked.

Deborah's arms tensed slightly. Sam picked up on this and narrowed her eyes as Deborah looked away.

"Well... this group isn't exactly the friendliest. A few months back, when William and another group were out scavenging, they got cornered by biters and were trying to fight their way through. Then, a group of these people showed up. Most, if not all of them, are just kids, but it doesn't change what they've done." Deborah explained.

"What DID they do?" Sam questioned, slightly impatient.

"They... They were the ones who killed Jenny and Zach. They attacked William and the others, and shot the two of them for the biters to kill. Then the leader of them, some... short girl with big glasses, held them at gunpoint and told them to stay off their territory. William's gone out and tried to negotiate peace with them several times, but every time, he returned with more stories of how they attacked. I guess he's finally had enough of their actions and wants to fight back. Especially now that they've done something so personal as to take Bryan and his boyfriend hostage."

"Wow, that's... I don't even know." Audrey breathed quietly after a moment of silence.

"Did anyone go with Mr. Robinson when he went to negotiate peace? Who was there when they killed Jenny and Zach?" Sam fired off several questions.

"Err, no. He's always gone alone. Told me he figured it was the best way to show he meant well, by not bringing anyone else. Well, there were a few others there with William when... that happened, yes. They've never really talked about it since. I can understand why, too. It's not easy watching someone die in front of you. I watched my own mother get killed by biters around the start. I wouldn't wish seeing that on anyone." Deborah shook her head.

"Well... thank you for explaining." Audrey began slowly, "I figured you've been keeping this quiet for a good reason, so we won't say anything to anybody about this."

"I appreciate it. Have a nice day, you two." Deborah have a friendly wave and a smile as Sam and Audrey stood and waved back as they left.

Once they stepped off the front stairs and onto the street, Sam turned to Audrey.

"You believe one word of what she said?" She asked.

"Ha, nope." Audrey scoffed.

Sam turned her head, spotting Shawn leaning against a house a few houses down. He made eye contact with her and nodded.

"There's our cue." Sam mumbled to Audrey, "Come on, let's meet with the others. And don't do your 'Not Suspicious' face, because, as we all know, it is in fact extremely suspicious."

"Yeah yeah, I know." Audrey huffed.

The two of them walked away from the Robinson house, passing Shawn and nodding back discreetly. Shawn looked back at the Robinson house, waiting another minute, before he turned and walked in the same direction as Sam and Audrey.

From the window, Deborah watched Shawn walk away. Her eyes narrowed.

On the side of the house where they would hang out before, Max, Jace, and George were all waiting. Sam and Audrey suddenly appeared from around the corner, making Max flinch.

"Gah! Y-You scared me!" Max grumbled.

"Us and everything else, Max." Sam teased.

"Shut up..."

"Where's Shawn?" George looked behind the two of them.

"He's on his way. Obviously we didn't walk together." Sam explained.

Sure enough, a couple seconds later, Shawn ducked behind the house and huddled with the group.

"Alright, we're all here? Good." Shawn checked.

"So, what did Mrs. Robinson tell you? Anything?" George asked.

"Well, we asked about that other group. She told us about how they first met. According to her, those people who died on that scavenging mission were killed by them. Shot and left for the biters." Audrey revealed.

Shawn immediately shook his head.

"No, she's lying through her teeth. I was one of the people there." He cut in.

"So what really happened?" Jace leaned in.

"...William killed them. HE shot them and left them for the biters. The other group was there, they saw it happen. Luna and Eugene were with us as well. William threatened us all to stay quiet about it. Luna and Eugene have been pretty much intimidated into loyalty by him, but... I've been holding out. William shouldn't be in a leadership position for much longer."

Everyone was horrified at his revelation.

"Jesus... this place is run by a psychopath." George grumbled.

"What are we going to do about this? This isn't just some gossip circle," Sam interjected, "if William is killing his own people, we have to do something to stop him before it happens again."

"A-Are you talking about... killing HIM?" Max inquired.

"What other option do we have? You think he'd willingly accept being simply removed from power? Hell, that'd just make us next on his shit list. We'd start strangely dying of 'suicide' after that." Sam scoffed.

"I hate this world... killing is always apparently the answer." Max mumbled quietly.

"Guess you just... have to get used to it." George shrugged.

"Dad, are you sure you want to be a part of this?" Jace looked to his father.

"Me?" George chuckled, "I should be asking YOU that. Never would've thought you and I would be part of some secret alliance trying to take down a corrupt leader."

"When you say it like that..." Audrey interjected, "you make us sound super badass!"

Sam rolled her eyes.

"Calm down." She muttered.

Shawn subtly looked behind him, seeing Eugene talking to Miles, as well as Kelsey, John, and Mel talking amongst each other.

"We should go. Someone might see us if we're here too long. We can come up with some kind of plan tomorrow, if it's safe enough." He decided.

"Works for us." Sam nodded.

"I'll leave first. We can't go all at once." Shawn turned and discreetly walked out from the side of the house, giving the people he passed a quick smile and nod.

Sam slipped past everyone and walked around the back of the line of houses. When she reached a point far enough away, she walked out onto the street, giving a polite wave to Annie, who was on watch on top of the guard post.

~~~~~

In the recreation room of Redwood, Bryan sat next to the empty fireplace. Their knees were pulled up to their chest and they were staring at the dust that coated the floor.

The door suddenly creaked open further, and Lorenzo poked his head inside.

"There you are! Are you okay?" Lorenzo rushes to their side.

"Yes." They replied simply.

"What are you doing in here?"

"Waiting."

"...You don't have to go through with this. We can-We can still figure out a way around this-."

"No. I-I have to do this." Bryan looked up and stared into his eyes.

"You said it yourself, your dad is ABUSIVE. You can't put yourself back in his grasp!" Lorenzo protested.

"Better me than everyone here." They reply, defeated, "You'll be okay here. You'll fit in good. Maybe one day... we can see each other again."

"Stop! This isn't a goodbye. This isn't an end. I don't care what we have to do. You're not going back."

"I am going back. Nobody's going to get hurt because I was selfish and didn't want to. So I have to." Bryan stood up and brushed the dust off of their pants.

"It's not selfish to want to get away from someone toxic." Lorenzo stated firmly as he grabbed Bryan's hands.

"...My mind is made up." They replied, a slight strain in their voice.

Lorenzo just sighed as Bryan pulled away and left the room, leaving him alone with the dust bunnies.

Outside, Pidge was huddled with a small crowd of the group, consisting of Colleen, Marco, Lance, Hunk, Curtis, Veronica, Adam, Rizavi, Grace, Jade, and Elyse.

"Alright Marco, you can be our eye in the sky. You can snipe from the top of the school roof in case things on the ground get too chaotic." Pidge explained.

"Got it." Marco nodded.

Lance handed Marco his rifle, and the latter turned and headed for the entrance to the roof.

"Anything you need me to do, Katie?" Colleen asked, a hint of teasing in her voice.

"Actually... would you go with Marco on the roof? You're probably one of the most gun experienced people with us." Pidge pointed out.

"Well, you're not wrong." Colleen smiled and nodded, "Sure thing, sweetheart. Let me grab my gun and I'll be up there in a sec."

Colleen turned to walk away, but Pidge suddenly turned as well.

"Mom!" She called to get her attention.

Colleen stopped and looked back.

"If this goes south... I just want you to know that I love you. I don't say it enough and I should, but-."

"I know, Katie. I've always known. A family's love is more than just the words." Colleen approached Pidge again and kissed her on the forehead.

"Love you, too, my little child genius." Colleen teased.

"Good lord, I thought you gave up that nickname when I was ten." Pidge cringed.

"It never goes away." Colleen chuckled, before she turned and walked away for real this time.

Pidge cleared her throat and turned back to the others remaining.

"Uh... anyway. Nadia, Curtis, you both have pretty good people skills, so you two will be down at the front with me. Adam, you're... pretty intimidating, so you'll be there, too." Pidge informed.

"What about us?" Jade spoke up, "We've been at this school for years. Grace and I want to be down there and make sure that asshole doesn't try anything shady."

"I guess two more down there wouldn't hurt. Sure thing." Pidge nodded.

"Thank you." Grace smiled, "I'll practice working on my scowl face until they arrive."

"God, I hope this all goes well..." Lance muttered.

"What about me, Pidge? You got anything for me to do?" Hunk asked, a smile on his face.

Pidge approached Hunk and reached up, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"Hunk, buddy. My man. Sunshine boy. I need you... to stay in here with everyone else. I don't doubt that you'd be a great help, but... okay, I got nothing. I just don't want to put you in danger. Guilty." Pidge groaned.

"Awww, that's sweet of you, Pidge. I'll stay safe, just for you." Hunk winked.

"But the rest of us are fair game, huh?" Lance smirked, "I sense some favoritism going on here."

"Yes, Lance. Hunk is my favorite. Glad you're finally caught up." Pidge retorted, "Just kidding. I love you and everyone else, too."

Lance just smiled and rolled his eyes in return.

"So, how are we going to kill these guys when they get here?" Elyse suddenly piped up.

Lance turned, surprised by her sudden statement.

"Um... we're not... killing them." Pidge replied slowly, also taken aback.

"The hell you mean we aren't? That guy has been giving us hell for months! We're just gonna hand over his kid and keep taking it?!" She yelled.

"What else can we do right now?" Adam crosses his arms, "Go on. If you think our approach is wrong, give us a better one."

"I just TOLD YOU. KILL THEM!" Elyse exclaimed, "Lance! You agree with me, don't you? We should just kill these fuckers and move on, right? Tell her!"

Elyse grabbed Lance's arm, digging her nails into his skin.

"I... um-!"

"Don't yell at my brother." Veronica yanks Elyse's arm off of Lance, who rubs the spot where her nails were.

"Don't touch me, you cunt." Elyse growled.

"Elyse. Back. Off." Grace warned.

Elyse looked around at everyone, then gritted her teeth.

"You fucking idiots are going to ruin this place for all of us!" She declared, before she stormed off, still muttering vulgar insults under her breath.

"Wow... how does so much anger fit inside one person?" Curtis thought out loud.

"Beats me." Adam dragged a hand down his face, "Jesus christ, she makes me feel tired every time she speaks."

Veronica lifted Lance's arm and looked at the spot where Elyse had grabbed. There were five small indents in his skin and one of them had a tiny scrape of blood on one.

"Jeez, she broke skin. Are you okay?" Veronica looked up to meet Lance's eyes.

"I-I'm fine, yes. Just... let me borrow your gun for this. Gave mine to Marco." Lance deflected.

"Sure, yeah. Here you go." Veronica took out her gun and gave it to Lance, "Please start being careful around Elyse."

Lance didn't say anything else. But even if he wanted to, he wouldn't have gotten the chance.

"HEY! EVERYONE!" Marcus suddenly shouted from the main guard post next to the gate.

Everyone turned and listened. Bryan and Lorenzo walked out into the courtyard.

"THEY'RE HERE!" Marcus finished.

"It's showtime, people! Everyone get to where you're supposed to be, now!" James yelled from another guard post.

"Oh, God... they're here." Star whispered as Shay held her close to her side.

"Come on! Kids, come on! Let's go!" Shay took Star's hand in one of hers, and Lukas' in the other.

Luis took Silvio's hand and picked up Nadia. The six of them ran up the stairs to the school entrance.

Ryan and Windy looked to each other, then Ryan grabbed Windy's hand.

"Come on. Let's go with them." He pleaded.

"I'm not a child! I can stay with everyone out here!" Windy protested.

"You only have one arm. You up against some other guy with a gun if it comes down to it? I... I don't want you to take that chance. Please go inside with me." Ryan begged.

"Ugh... alright. But only because I love you too much." Windy sighed.

Ryan gave her a quick peck on the cheek, and the two of them followed after Luis, Shay, and the kids.

"Take them to the rec room. Distract them." Shiro told Luis as he ran past.

"Okay!" He nodded.

Keith and James sprinted up beside Shiro.

"I'll go with them." Keith started.

"You sure?" Shiro turned to his brother worriedly.

"Luis and Shay can't protect the kids by themselves. Someone else has to be there with them, too." He explained.

"...Okay. Be safe." Shiro quickly embraced Keith, then dashed back down the stairs to join the others in gathering by the gate.

"Fuck it, I'll go with you." James held his rifle and nodded.

"Seriously? You don't wanna be on the wall ready to shoot at those assholes?" Keith questioned.

"Like you said. They need help protecting the kids. Just a precaution." James shrugged.

"Yeah. Whatever." Keith lightly chuckled, before the two of them sprinted inside the school.

Outside the school, William, Carter, Layla, Andrés, Jeanette, Peter, and Evan all approached along the dirt road. They each had large guns that they were carrying with them.

A few walkers came out of the trees nearby. Layla spotted them first.

"We got them." She stated.

Layla raised her gun and shot two of the walkers in the head. Andrés readied his weapon and shot one in the head as well. Evan smacked one across the face with his gun, making the walker's jaw fly off and land on the ground. Before the walker could lunge again, Carter turned with his pistol and shot it in the head. The last walker set its sights on William, but Jeanette charged it, knocking it down with a shoulder body slam. She then stood over it, and smashed its head in with the end of her gun several times until it stopped moving.

"Stay sharp, everyone. We don't know what's going to happen." William instructed the rest of them as they continued walking and stopped at the gate.

"Okay... here goes nothing." Bryan swallowed nervously.

Romelle backed away from the gate and approached Bryan alongside Allura.

"You've still got one last chance. You don't have to go with him. We can figure something out." Allura tried to reason.

"You don't deserve to suffer at his hands." Romelle shook her head.

Bryan just stared at the two of them. Then, they shook their head as well and moved past them, leaving them and Lorenzo behind.

Pidge, Nadia, Curtis, Lance, Adam, Grace, Jade, and Bryan all stood at the gate, guns drawn, staring at William's group of people on the other side. On top of the wall next to the gate, Jake and Marcus leaned against it, their guns at the ready.

On the roof of Redwood, Colleen and Marco each had their guns fitted with a scope and were lying flat and looking through them.

"Just lay one hand on my daughter... see what happens." Colleen muttered to herself.

Taking a deep breath, Pidge turned to Avery and Matt, who were waiting for her signal.

"...Open the gate." Pidge nodded.

Matt and Avery obliged, pulling the heavy gate open together. Now nothing stood between William and Pidge's groups.

Pidge and her group of people slowly walked out of the gate, but stopping just outside Redwood's border, about twenty feet away from where William and his people stood.

"Hello again." William greeted, a bitter smile on his face.

Inside the recreation room, James and Ryan sat near the entrance, their guns ready in case anyone came through the door. Luis sat beside Silvio and Nadia, keeping them entertained. Windy found a book and was trying to read it as Star sat next to her with Lukas. Keith paced back and forth around the room. Nadia watched him, then turned to her father.

"W-What's going on outside?" Nadia asked.

"We're... talking with another group." Luis explained, "It's safer if you're inside for it."

"But why?"

"The people, they are... bad." Luis sighed.

Star stood up and stormed up behind Keith.

"We shouldn't hide! We should be out there!" She protested.

Shay came up beside her sister and pulled her back before she could run for the door.

"Don't be a fool! We can't all go marching out there." Shay shook her head.

"We still need more practice anyway." Lukas came up beside Star as well, placing a hand on her shoulder, "That's what our training is for."

Star grumbled, but relented, and sat back down on the floor.

"How DO you think they're doing out there?" Keith suddenly spoke up, looking at James.

"I don't know. All we can do is wait until they give us the all clear." James replied.

Keith looked out of the window silently.

Outside, the others watched from afar as Pidge and her group approached William. Bae Bae stood beside Matt. When she saw Pidge outside the walls, she growled quietly in William's direction.

"Quiet, Bae Bae. Pidge will be fine, alright girl?" Matt murmured to the dog.

Bae Bae whined, but leaned in as Matt gave her a quick ear scratching.

"She'll be fine..." He repeated.

Next to him, Nancy stood with Hunk and Allura. Her hands were clasped together so hard her knuckles were turning white.

"Lance... my boy shouldn't be out there doing this." Nancy whimpered, "He could get hurt."

"Mrs. McClain, I'm sure everything's gonna go fine." Hunk reassured, "Lance has always been quite good at diffusing tense situations. Especially back at the Garrison when Pidge would run her mouth to Iverson."

"He's remarkably brave, too. You shouldn't underestimate him." Allura added, "I know he's your son, your youngest one at that, and you want him to be safe. But perhaps he's more set on... keeping others safe."

Nancy processed their words, then eventually she nodded.

"That... makes sense. When Lance was a young boy, he'd always care about his siblings' well being more than his own, when they weren't all fighting." She admitted, "I shouldn't worry as much anymore."

Outside the walls, Pidge stared back at William.

"You have my son. I want him back." William pointed in Bryan's direction, who had their eyes glued to the ground.

"If you want them back so bad, first you're gonna agree to our terms." Pidge fired back.

"How about you give us the kid and we let you off with just a warning!" Andrés raised his rifle and aimed it at them.

"Yo, put the gun down! We're just supposed to be talking!" Rizavi accused.

Everyone started to raise their voices, until William held out his hand.

"Andrés, lower your weapon. Let the girl talk." He ordered.

Andrés scowled, but lowered it anyway.

"If we give you Bryan, you need to leave us all the hell alone. Go back to your little city and don't bother us again." Pidge said.

"...We can arrange that. I just need you and your people to stay out of our scavenging and hunting grounds. We're a big community, and we need the supplies more than you do." William replied.

"What are you trying to say? That we stop scavenging altogether? All the places we go are close to this school." Lance informed.

"Find other places. We found those ones first."

"This guy can't be serious..." Jade mumbled.

"How do we even know there's other places left?" Grace wondered.

"There's always gotta be something left, I'm sure we could... find it, if we tried." Curtis shrugged.

"You know what, whatever." Pidge groaned, "You leave us totally alone, we find other places to scavenge and you get Bryan back. Deal?"

"I can agree to those conditions." William nodded.

Just then, a walker came stumbling out of the trees next to the school.

"In fact, I'll show you that I can be much more helpful now." William unsheathed his knife and approached the walker.

Before it would even attack, William swung the knife into its temple. He pulled it out and let the corpse fall, wiping the undead's blood off of his weapon with his pants.

"One less biter that could've gotten one of you. See?" William smiled.

Pidge just stared at him, unimpressed.

"Layla, take the others and scout the area for any other biters. Carter, you're staying with me."

"Got it, boss. Let's go!" Layla called to the others as they turned and split off in opposite directions into the woods.

"See how agreeable I can be? I'm assisting you in clearing your area of the undead, and I just sent most of my crew away. I think that warrants a little more trust." William eyed Pidge.

"Alright." Pidge put a hand on Bryan's shoulder, making them turn and look at her.

"...You can go." She said.

Bryan felt their hands trembling a little. They used one hand to grab their other wrist as they slowly took a few steps forward.

From inside, Lorenzo stood beside Romelle.

"They're really going..." Romelle sighed.

"No..." Lorenzo felt his eyes well up with small tears.

"H-Hi, Dad..." Bryan murmured as William pulled them in for a rigid hug.

"Bryan, are you okay?" Carter asked as Bryan pulled away from their father.

"I-I'm fine... they didn't hurt me." They answered as Carter approached.

"I'm glad." Carter smiled, then looked around, "Wasn't Lorenzo with you? I heard it was you and him."

"He's staying with these people. It was his choice." Bryan revealed.

William just scoffed.

"Fine by me. One less fag running around Plaht City." He rolled his eyes.

"What is the matter with you? Why do you always have to call him something rude like that?!" Bryan exclaimed.

"What? It's what he is!" William declared.

"No! He's my BOYFRIEND, and I love him! You have never respected him, or even ME. You've always been my worst fucking NIGHTMARE. I HATE YOU!" Bryan screamed as they started punching and kicking at William.

The latter held them back and shoved them away.

"Y'know what? Fuck this, and FUCK you!" Bryan yelled, before they took a few steps back, "I'm staying right here."

William's eye twitched, and he took a step toward them.

"You... WHAT have you done to his head?!" William pointed an accusing finger at Pidge.

"US?!" Nadia crossed her arms.

"We didn't do shit! They just came to accept how shitty of a person you are!" Pidge shouted back.

"Enough of this childish bullshit! I'm not asking anymore. You're coming back with me, right NOW!" William growled, grabbing Bryan by the arm.

"Agh! Let GO OF ME!" Bryan started to punch them again, although their blows didn't do much.

"Stop... fucking around!" William yanked them closer, causing them to lose their balance and fall forward.

Carter watched from behind William. His eyebrows furrowed.

William's other hand clenched around his knife.

"I swear to GOD, if you don't stand up and fucking MARCH home, I'm going to take this knife and stab you!" William threatened.

"I already told you... I'm not GOING!" Bryan thrashed in their father's grip.

Carter's fists clenched, and at last he sprang forward.

"William! Let go of him! Just let them go!" Carter grabbed him by the shoulder and tried to pull him away.

"Get the fuck off of me! You really think I'm gonna let my son stay here with these motherfuckers who messed with his head?!" William fired back.

William elbowed Carter back, making him stumble back, but Carter didn't relent. He came right back and latched onto his shoulder again.

"You can't make him go with you! Just sto-!"

"I SAID GET OFF!" William roared.

In a fit of rage, William released Bryan's arm and suddenly swung around toward Carter, with the knife.

The knife made contact with Carter's throat, slicing deep into the skin. Carter suddenly stopped, and he brought his hands up to his neck as blood started to leak from the cut.

Bryan let out a scream of terror as they backed away. Grace clutched Jade's arm tight as they watched. Curtis turned away as Nadia covered her mouth.

On the wall, even Jake and Marcus lowered their guns as they watched Carter collapse to the ground.

"Oh my GOD!" Bryan started to sob, "What the FUCK have you done?!"

William stared at his knife for a moment, before he wiped Carter's blood off of it. Carter continued to choke on his blood, until he finally stopped moving as his eyes rolled back into his head.

"You... You made me do this! If you'd just listened like you're supposed to!" William clenched his fist.

Pidge approached and wrapped an arm around Bryan, who was staring at Carter's body and hyperventilating.

"They made their choice. They're not going back with you. So go." She glared.

"Like hell I will-!"

"CARTER! OH MY GOD!" Layla's voice cut through their standoff as her and the others ran out from the woods.

"What the fuck happened to him?!" Peter interrogated.

"His throat... it got cut. S-Someone fucking cut his throat!" Evan panicked.

"...It was them!" William suddenly pointed, "Carter went to get Bryan and they slit his throat! They did this!"

"You fucking liar!" Rizavi threw her hands in the air.

"God dammit! I knew we couldn't trust these people!" Jeanette sneered.

Suddenly, she raised her gun and fired a few shots in Pidge's direction.

"Fuck, move!" Lance warned.

Lance shoved Pidge and Bryan out of the way as the bullet grazed across his left arm.

"AAGH! SON OF A..." Lance gritted his teeth as he held the small wound.

"LANCE!" Pidge exclaimed.

"They opened fire!" Jake shouted.

Without hesitating, Jake fired back, his bullets just barely missing Jeanette and Evan.

"Forget it! Let's get out of here!" Layla called to the others.

Andrés fired a shot off at Grace and Jade, but missed as Jade ducked, the bullet hitting the wall instead. Before he could fire a second round, he suddenly collapsed to the ground as a echoing shot rang out, a bullet lodged in his shoulder.

From the roof, Colleen chuckled triumphantly at her accurate shot.

"Nice one." Marco nodded, impressed.

"I did say what would happen." Colleen sighed as she loaded another round.

"Shit... Shit! My shoulder! FUCK!" Andrés cried as he held a hand over his wound. He slowly stood up, shakily aiming his gun at the two once again.

"You're gonna pay for that, you fu-!" Andrés was cut off as a second bullet was fired directly into his forehead.

"NO!" Jeanette cried.

Pidge turned around and looked up at Colleen and Marco on the roof. Colleen, having fired the shot, smiled in satisfaction.

"Now can we go?! I don't wanna be next!" Evan pleaded.

"Fuck it... go! Fall back!" William ordered.

In an instant, everyone stopped and ran. Peter took one final glance at Andrés' corpse, and ran away as well.

Once William and the others had gone, everyone relaxed their muscles and took deep breaths.

Bryan was still sobbing as they stood up from the ground. Without saying anything, they stormed back inside the gates of Redwood and past everyone else.

"Bryan! Wait!" Lorenzo tried to grab their arm, but they wrenched out of his grasp and kept walking away.

"Holy shit... is everyone okay?" Adam asked.

"Mostly... agh!" Lance held his grazed arm, "I'm not hit too bad..."

"Shit, Lance!" Pidge and Adam helped him stand up, and Adam let him lean on him as everyone walked back inside.

As they did, Pidge turned back as she heard a low growl. Carter's fingers started to twitch, and his eyes opened, now a milky gray.

Pidge reached for her knife, but stopped. She instead walked inside the gate and let Avery and Grace close it.

"LANCE!! _¡Ay, dios mio!_ What happened?!" Nancy screamed as she cupped Lance's face.

"It's okay, _Mamá_... I was just grazed..." Lance smiled wearily.

"He'll be fine. It just cut his skin a bit." Adam added.

"Jeez, man... you're one tough dude." Hunk nodded in admiration.

"Heh... tough? Or just stupid?" Lance joked.

Colleen and Marco exited the school, followed by Keith, James, and the others inside.

"Mom!" Pidge cried excitedly.

She ran over and wrapped her arms around her.

"Thanks for the cover..." Pidge murmured.

"It was no problem, Katie. Wasn't going to let someone kill any one of us."

"You really saved our asses, Mrs. Holt. We're super grateful." Jade nodded.

"Of course."

Shiro approached Colleen as Grace, Jade, and Pidge walked away.

"Was that your first?" He asked.

Colleen's smile fell only slightly, but her silence was enough of an answer for Shiro.

"If you start feeling... strange about it or anything, you can talk to me." He offered with a smile, before leaving her to her thoughts.

Adam began helping Lance to the school's infirmary.

"So, how stupid was I getting in the line of fire?" Lance questioned with a smile.

"Not any more stupid than just letting a friend get shot." Adam replied, "I'd say it evens out for you."

A scoff from nearby made them stop.

"I told you we should've just killed them. Two of them died, why not the rest?" Elyse complained.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me..." Adam looked up at the sky.

"Elyse, not now." Damien sighed as he overheard from next to her.

"Why not? You all know I was right!" She insisted.

"Elyse, please... we couldn't have killed all of them. People would've gotten hurt." Lance reached out and put his uninjured hand on her shoulder.

Instead of backing off, Elyse glared up at Lance.

"Are you SERIOUS?! Am I hearing wrong? You actually agree with them?! What the fuck is wrong with you?!" She screamed.

Elyse yanked Lance away from Adam.

"Hey! He's hurt!" Veronica stormed over and tried to separate the two again.

Elyse turned and punched her in the stomach, making her fall to the ground in pain.

"Jesus Christ! Stop!" Marco yelled.

"Why did you do that?!" Lance exclaimed.

"She's trying to come between us, Lancey... they all are. Can't you see? Just come with me, we'll be happier by ourselves." Elyse murmured, trying to drag Lance with her.

"No. S-Stop trying to control me!" Lance dug his heels into the ground, which made him impossible to move.

"Ugh, you asshole! Why are you acting like such a cunt!" Elyse spun and dug her hand into Lance's bullet graze, making him cry out.

"You're fucking... crazy!" Veronica scowled as she stood up, wheezing slightly.

"L-Let go of me!" Lance squirmed out of her grip, but was immediately smacked across the face by her.

"Fuck you! I give you so much and this is how you treat me!" She roared.

Elyse shoved Lance backwards, but Hunk caught him before he fell on the ground.

"Lance!" Veronica cried out. She threw a punch at Elyse, but missed.

"Nice try, bi-!" Elyse was suddenly on the ground with one hard punch across her cheek.

Nancy stood above her, panting slightly. Her eyes filled with a mother's rage.

" _¡No toques a mi hijo, puta de mierda!_ " Nancy exclaimed, "I don't ever want to see you near him again!"

"Elyse... we're fucking done. I-It's over." Lance said, as confident as he could muster.

Elyse stood up and felt the blood running out of her mouth, before she turned and ran inside the school.

"That's the most violent she's ever gotten." Avery said quietly.

"That's because none of us had ever been roped into dating her." Jonas retorted, "Some of us are naturally smarter than others."

"Can it, man. Seriously not the time." Damien narrowed his eyes.

"...Fine." Jonas rolled his eyes and sauntered off.

"Hey... where did Bryan go?" Hunk suddenly looked around the courtyard, seeing everyone but them gathered.

"They must've gone inside the school. I'll go find them." Lorenzo decided.

"Shouldn't be too hard, right? Am I missing something?" Keith raised an eyebrow.

"When they get... upset like that, they tend to run and isolate themselves. That's part of the reason we ended up here in the first place. They could be hiding themselves away somewhere." He explained.

"Ill help you look." Pidge offered.

"I'll come, too." Damien stepped forward.

"I could help." Spencer raised his hand, "I know some of the more secret locations in the school. Sometimes... Parker and I would sneak to our hiding spots and smoke weed."

"Where did you two get weed?" Damien asked incredulously.

"Some of the staff had it. And they were careless about it, so..."

"Alright, no time to waste. Come on." Lorenzo waved them into the school.

Inside the halls of Redwood, Bryan walked briskly through them. Tears dripped down from their eyes and their breathing was barely under control.

They covered their mouth with their hand as they came to a set of stairs. One flight going up and the other going down. Bryan looked to the left of the stairs and saw a sign.

"Boiler Room

Basement"

Sniffling, they swiftly descended down the stairs into the dark basement of the school.

The lower hallways were dusty, and covered in cobwebs, and probably some spider webs as well. Bryan sneezed as they turned a corner. As they rubbed their nose and walked, they let out a yelp as their foot walked over something in their path, and made them fall down.

"Ow! Sh-Shit..." They whimpered through tears.

Bryan felt around in the dimly lit hallway, barely able to see, until their hands touched what tripped them. They lifted it into a beam of light coming from a small basement window. It was only a broken metal pipe.

They sighed, and dropped the pipe, letting in clang to the floor. They pressed their forehead against the wall and quietly let out more sobs as Carter's death played over and over in their head.

"I'm so sorry..." They blubbered.

Just then, the sound of a door creaking open behind them snapped them out of their misery. They turned around and was met with the loud growls of a walker.

"FUUUCK!" They yelled as the now freed walker tackled them to the ground.

Upstairs on the main level, Lorenzo and the others came up to the stairs.

"You think they went upstairs?" Damien wondered.

"Maybe... there's not really a pattern to where they go." Lorenzo informed.

"HELP!!" Bryan's voice immediately turned their attention to the stairs going down.

"They went this way! They're in trouble!" Lorenzo practically jumped down the stairs.

Pidge, Damien, and Spencer followed quickly.

Down in the hallways leading to the boiler room, Bryan held back the walker on top of them.

"No! Shiiiit!" Bryan flailed beneath the undead creature.

They pulled one of their legs back and used it to kick the walker in the stomach, sending it flying onto its back.

Bryan could barely see the ground under them, but they rolled over and quickly felt for the pipe they'd just discarded. They could hear the walker standing back up from behind them.

"Come on, come on!" They panted.

At least, their hand touched cold metal, and they breathed a sigh of relief. They gripped the pipe tightly like a baseball bat.

They could see the outline of the walker as it stood back up. Bryan wasted no time, and they swung the pipe hard. The walker fell back to the ground. Bryan placed a foot on either side of the walker's body, and then lifted the pipe over their head and brought it down against the walker's skull.

They raised the pipe and slammed it down again. And again. And again. And again.

"Bryan! Bryan!" Lorenzo's voice wasn't even enough to stop them.

Lorenzo ran up behind them and pulled their shoulder back. Bryan sent one final blow down on the walker's head, which was effectively destroyed already. Some blood had splattered onto their face, and their hair was falling into their face as they breathed hard. They let the pipe fall to the floor once again, their hands starting to shake again.

"Holy shit... are you okay?" Lorenzo felt all over their body, "Were you bitten?"

"No... No I wasn't." Bryan shook their head as their voice broke.

Damien approached the beaten walker and looked it over.

"Woah... Mr. Stevens...?" He thought out loud.

"The janitor?" Spencer cut in.

"Yeah, this is him... fuck me." Damien breathed.

"I remember, right before the biters first broke inside, Mr. Stevens said he was going to check the boiler room and make sure everything was fine. He never came back... guess this is why." Spencer revealed.

Damien felt along Mr. Stevens' body, until he reached his hands. In the dim hallway, he could just make out a chunk of flesh missing from his right hand.

"Yup... a biter took a good piece of him. At least he wasn't devoured alive..." Damien sighed, cringing.

"So, if this guy was killed by a biter and he's been down here all this time, then where's..." Lorenzo trailed off as a growl down the hall became audible.

"...Nevermind." He finished.

All of a sudden, in the sliver of light from the window, they saw a walker shambling toward them.

"Damien, watch out!" Pidge warned.

The walker appeared and lunged at Damien, but he was quick enough to dodge. He kicked the walker back, then pinned it against the wall.

"Someone kill it!" He groaned as it struggled against him.

Pidge ran forward, knife in hand. With one swift stab, she plunged the knife through the walker's eye.

Damien let the body fall to the ground, and they all turned to Bryan.

"Why did you come down here?" Pidge questioned softly.

"I-I had... I just had to go. I couldn't... be up there. M-My dad, he's... he's a monster. Carter was one of the nicest people I knew, and now he's gone. Because I didn't go with him!" They sobbed.

"Bryan, look at me." Lorenzo twisted them to face him, "Your dad was the one who did that to him. Not you. All you did was break away from his abusive hold, and I'm so so proud of you for that."

Lorenzo hugged them tight. Once they pulled away, Bryan turned to Pidge.

"Pidge... h-he's gonna come back, now. He's going to be so mad, next time he might... he might-!"

"It's okay. We... We're just gonna deal with that as it comes, alright? You both are part of our group now. I hope you both can forgive us for how we first met..." Pidge stepped closer, and outstretched her arms, "May I?"

Bryan nodded, to which Pidge wrapped her arms around them in her own hug. Bryan was surprised at first, but slowly returned it.

"We can be your family now." Pidge reassured. “If you want.”

Bryan pulled away, as Pidge fixed her glasses.

"...Thank you." They sniffled.

~~~~~

William walked up onto a platform in the center of Plaht City. Deborah and the group who had been with him at Redwood stood on it already, waiting for him. In front of the platform, the entire population of the community waited as well.

When William reaches where his wife stood, he turned to face the crowd.

"Uh, William, sir? What's going on?" A man named Benjamin asked from the crowd.

"I... have to tell all of you something." William began, "There is a group of people. Several miles away, but that doesn't stop them. These people, they've been torturing us in secrecy for years. They've made some of us victims to biters, Jenny and Zach for starters. I tried to make peace with them, but... they attacked each time I tried. And now... they've taken my son, and his friend, Lorenzo, as hostages. I tried to go and rescue them both, try one more time to bargain peace. But they were ruthless. They'd poisoned my son's mind. He's turned against us, he and Lorenzo have been indoctrinated into their murderous group. And before our very eyes... they killed Carter and Andrés..."

"NO!" Luna sobbed as she collapsed to her knees.

"It's okay, it's okay..." A dark haired young woman named Rose comforted her.

"These people are growing more and more dangerous by the day. Sooner or later, they're going to take their heinous acts to another level." William predicted.

"We can't let them do that!" A man named Andy declared.

"Damn right! We'll stop 'em!" Miles agreed, punching the air.

"Absolutely right!" William nodded, "We have the strength, we have the numbers. If we work at it enough, soon we'll be strong enough to wipe these evil people from the world for good!"

"Yeah!" Everyone in the crowd began to chant.

"These people won't stand a chance!" A dark skinned man named Tyler exclaimed.

"We'll give them hell!" A man named Marco chimed in.

"Normally, God frowns upon violence... but what is violence against violence to end it once and for all?" Freddie proposed.

"Nothing can stand in the way of Plaht City!" A blonde woman named Holly claimed.

"Damn right!" Her friend Donna agreed.

"For Plaht City!" William cried out as Deborah stood alongside him.

"FOR PLAHT CITY!" Everyone in the crowd repeated.

At the back of the crowd, Sam, Max, Jace, Audrey, and George watched. Sam shook her head in disgust as she glared daggers at William and Deborah. She gritted her teeth and suddenly stormed off. As she walked, she accidentally shoulder bumped two men named Kenneth and Mitchell.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" Mitchell complained.

"No." Sam flipped both of them off as she left.

Shawn was also watching them both, leaned against a tree. He fiddled with his hands nervously as he thought about his upcoming meetup with the others.

Lucia stood amongst the others as well. She wore a face of worry and uncertainty as she looked up at her son. After another minute, she turned and also walked away.

William stood on the platform, reveling in the cheers of his people in front of him.

~~~~~

The sun had gone down, leaving the cold, black night sky. The halls of Redwood were quiet as everyone went about their nightly routines.

Jade sat on the edge of the bottom bunk as Grace was on her knees behind her, carefully brushing through her hair. She reached around and placed a hand on Jade's cheek lovingly.

Matt and Pidge embraced each other in a tight hug as he said goodnight to her. Bae Bae trotted over to Matt, and he bent down and gave her several head kisses and scratches. Matt then left the room, and headed to his shared room with Colleen. Bae Bae climbed into the bunk bed with Pidge, curling up near her feet.

Colleen sat on the edge of her bed, staring at her rifle laying on the desk across the room. Her gaze fell to her hands as she thought back to what she'd done today. Matt entered the room, to which Colleen looked up and smiled. He approached and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Colleen leaned in and kissed him on the forehead.

Adam and Shiro covered up in the blankets, both of them naked and kissing each other deeply as they rolled around. Adam ended up on top, and smirked down at Shiro, who just huffed a breath of air and went back to kissing Adam.

Similarly, Romelle and Allura lay side by side in bed, no clothes on and panting. Allura brushed a strand of hair from Romelle's face, and the latter smiled and blushed as she did so. Romelle leaned in and kissed Allura quickly.

Lance slowly entered Nancy and Veronica's room, carrying a few items. Both of them approached him and pulled him in for a tight hug. Lance smiled and closed his eyes as he returned it.

Lorenzo sat in the bathrooms of the school with Bryan, using a rag to clean the blood off of their face. He gingerly brought it up to their arm, and noticed some fresh bruises from where William had grabbed so forcefully. He brushed over them carefully, and Bryan smiled. Lorenzo smiled back, and continued gently scrubbing away the blood.

Keith paced around his single room. His eyes fell on his sword, which was leaning against the wall. Then, he shifted and looked out the window. He saw the full moon outside and stopped pacing.

James sat awake in the top bunk of his room. Below him, Nadia lay there, snoring loudly. He slowly leaned back and fell against his pillow. However, James remained staring up at the ceiling. Thinking.

Ryan and Windy were cuddled close in bed. Ryan's arms wrapped over Windy's back and hooked together as if to shield her. In her sleep, Windy smiled.

Luis tucked Silvio and Nadia into their beds, then climbed into his own, not falling asleep, just so he could watch over his children.

Unbeknownst to each other, Jake and Curtis were each lying awake, their eyes focused on the full moon outside their window. Each of them thinking about their own things.

Jonas slept silently on his side facing the wall, while Spencer sat up in the other bed, staring at the unsmoked joint he had left on the desk in his room, and formerly his shared room with Parker.

Marcus stared at the empty bed across the room where Hunk would normally be. Hunk sat outside, near the back of the school, keeping watch on the gap in the fence. Hunk could hear the moans of multiple walkers ambling around just outside it.

"Hey... Hunk." Shay's voice made him jump suddenly.

"Ohmygodjeez! Oh... uh, heh... sorry. Hi Shay." Hunk babbled.

"Hi..." Shay rubbed her am, "I asked around and found out you were on watch for tonight, a-at least right now."

Shay looked up at the cloudless night sky.

"Nice night, huh? So many stars out..." She marveled.

"I know, right? Sometimes I imagine each star as its own little world. Each one as a place I can escape to when things go bad, or if I just wanted to get away from the walkers, I could go to one of them and spend the rest of my life there with all of my friends, and just be happy all the time..." Hunk rambled.

"Tell me about it. That... That actually sounds really nice. A-Anyway, I, umm, I just... I wanted to talk to you."

Hunk had a hunch he knew what was coming.

"Yeah? Whatcha want to talk about?" He asked, keeping it casual.

"Well... you? Okay, that sounds weird, sorry. I just mean... I've felt this way for a little while now, m-maybe you do, too. Or maybe you don't... e-either way! What I mean is... I like you, Hunk. I think you're cute, you're funny, you can cook real good food, you're strong..." Shay trailed off.

"Shay, I... I don't know what to say." Hunk started.

"Y-You don't have to say anything, if you don't want to yet. I guess, what I just want to know is... do you feel the same way? At all?" Shay wrung her hands together.

Hunk was silent for the longest time. At last, he took a deep breath.

"Shay... I really appreciate you confessing this to me. It means a lot that you feel so... passionate about me. But... I-I don't think I feel the same way. At least... with you." Hunk admitted, "But that doesn't mean you aren't a really good friend! You've been an amazing friend to me and everyone for as long as we've known you! I really hope that me saying this won't... change what we had before... will it?"

Shay professed Hunk's reply, then waved a hand in his direction.

"Of course it won't. It would be silly of me to let your personal feelings cloud my view of you as a friend. Don't worry, I understand how you feel and I respect that. And thank you for being so... chill about it." Shay rubbed the back of her head and smiled.

"No problem. Friend hug it out?" Hunk opened his arms.

"Hell yeah." Shay wrapped her arms around Hunk and the two hugged for a few seconds until they mutually pulled back.

"Real quick before I go back to my room. If not me, is there anyone else here that you've got feelings for?" Shay raised an eyebrow and leaned in.

Hunk's cheeks went a rosy shade of pink.

"...Yes." He revealed after a nervous silence.

"How very juicy and interesting." Shay stroked her chin, "Well, whoever they are, I wish you good luck in wooing them. Have a good night, Hunk. And don't stay up too late."

"G'night, Shay." Hunk waved as Shay went back inside.

Hunk was alone again. He looked up at the stars again, and sighed. He closed his eyes just for a second.

"Hunk?"

"GAAHH! Dammit, not again!" He cursed.

Hunk turned around again, only to find Elyse standing there. Hunk immediately glared.

"Oh, no. You are not gonna come over here and start attacking me or anything." Hunk held out his arms.

Elyse raised her hands in surrender.

"No! I-I swear, I actually come in peace..." She pleaded, "I'm sorry for just showing up like this... I just needed someone to talk to."

"Fine... talk." Hunk sighed.

"I feel like the shittiest person in the world... I was supposed to love Lance, but... I was hurting him. That just makes me a piece of shit." Elyse shook her head.

"I won't lie, you have been... extremely scary sometimes. I've worried for Lance's safety on numerous occasions." Hunk recalled, "But... if you really feel bad. Tomorrow you should apologize. Probably to a lot of people. I can't guarantee everyone will forgive you, or forget. But it's a start? And a start is better progress than nothing at all."

Elyse listened, then nodded.

"Yeah... that sounds like a good idea. I've got a lot to do. Thanks, Hunk." Elyse smiled at him, "Hey, I'm gonna be making a change tomorrow, but why not start now. Go sleep, I'll keep watch for the rest of the night."

"Are... you sure?" Hunk tilted his head.

"I'm sure. It's the least I can do to make up for all the shit I've put everyone through." She moped.

"Well, in that case? Thank you." Hunk stood up and headed for the door, but stopped at the last minute, "I always hope there's at least a little bit of good left that will shine through, in anyone who isn't exactly on the right path. Just want to also say thank you for being one of those people. The good side won't ever fail you."

With that, Hunk walked inside the school, leaving Elyse by herself.

Elyse stared at the fence for a few seconds, not moving, then she started to laugh quietly to herself.

"Stupid motherfucker," She sighed, "Didn't think my sob story was that believable but here we are."

Elyse pulled out her knife and approached the fence. She saw a few walkers standing a few feet away from it.

"These fucking assholes all look at me like I'm the fucking devil. But they know... they know deep down I'm right, and I've always been right. That little shit Lance was never worth it, he's too blinded by his support for his friends that he couldn't see my truth, even when it was staring him in the face..." Elyse quietly started laughing hysterically to herself.

She turned and opened the back door to the school, letting the door swing fully open.

"This place... these people... they're all lost causes. I thought for sure we'd be strong. But we're not. I guess the only way to be strong..." Elyse rolled up her sleeve on her right arm, "...is to die."

Elyse then dragged her knife along her forearm, cutting into her veins. Blood instantly began leaking out of the gash in her arm.

Quickly becoming fatigued, Elyse began to bang her knife against the fence.

"That's right... come here, everyone... the fun isn't over yet...!" She cried in order to attract more.

After a minute of calling attention to the walkers out in the woods, Elyse had gathered just under three dozen walkers outside the fence. Blood continued to gush from her arm.

"Come in, come in..." Elyse mumbled, delirious from the blood loss, "The food's that way."

Elyse used her knife to spread the gap in the fence even wider. The first few walkers began to claw their way through the sharp edges to the inside.

Elyse backed away from the fence, and weakly gripped the knife in her injured arm.

"...See you on the other side..." She gasped out.

In one last burst of energy, she slit down her other arm, watching as her blood coated both of her arms as it ran down and dripped into the grass.

Elyse's body fell backwards and lay motionless on the ground. Her chest rose and fell one last time. The first walker slipped through the widened gap in the fence, and climbed the small steps up to the wide open school door. Then, another walker pushed through. And another. And another.

Soon, almost all of the walkers had pushed into the back area of the school. Just as the final walker cut itself on its way through the fence hole, from the ground, Elyse stirred.

Her eyes opened, still retaining some of their original color, only now it had turned more cloudy and soulless.

The now undead Elyse slowly rose from her spot on the ground and turned around. She slowly took her first steps, and followed the rest of the mini herd as the group of them slowly began to crowd the back entrance hall of Redwood, as well as keep moving farther inside, following every little noise that drew them closer to the group that was sleeping peacefully. Unaware of the danger now lurking right under their noses.


	5. Wretched Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunk concludes that sometimes, it’s better to be together. Trouble brews from within.

It was still late in the night at Redwood Boarding School. In the back halls of the building, the undead Elyse and her walker herd ambled around the hallway. Several small noises coming from farther inside the school made them shuffle even closer to where the group was.

In another part of the school, Grace approached a door to a bedroom and knocked.

"We're decent!" Damien's voice answered on the other side.

Grace entered the room, a candle in one hand. Damien was currently fixing his bedsheets, smoothing them out. Avery was by the window, trying to close it all the way.

"You guys doing alright?" Grace asked as she set the candle down on a side desk.

"Yep!" Damien smiled, hopping into his bed.

"God damn window..." Avery complained.

"Somethin' wrong, Ave?" Damien raises an eyebrow as he and Grace looked at him.

"I'm trying to close it because I'm cold but the frames are so rusty that it won't go all the way." Avery tried again, but his grip slipped and he banged his hand on the frame. "FUCK!"

"Calm down, man. Maybe Marcus can fix it, he's pretty good at fixing things. You got any blankets or anything to cover up with?" Grace suggested.

"Nope. I looked everywhere before trying the window." Avery sighed, giving up on trying.

"Shit. Sorry, dude. I promise we'll look at it soon." Grace playfully hit him on the shoulder.

"Thanks. Goodnight, Gracie." Avery smiled as he pulled Grace into a hug.

"Night." Grace pulled away and gave Damien a fist bump.

Grace picked up her candle and headed for the door. She gave the two boys one last wave goodnight, before she pulled their door shut and continued down the hall.

In another part of the school, Hunk quietly slipped into him and his father's room, doing his best to not make too much noise. Just as he set down his rifle, a voice spoke from behind him.

"Hunk?" Marcus questioned, "What are you doing back early?"

"Gah!" Hunk jumped, then sighed and dragged a hand down his face at being scared again, "Hey, Dad. Someone took over my watch shift, so I'm here."

"Really? Who?" Marcus sat forward, interested.

"Uh... Elyse, if you can believe it." Hunk sat down on the bed opposite him.

"I'm finding it hard to. Did she say anything to you? Did she hurt you?" Marcus reached out to his son, but Hunk held up a hand.

"I'm fine, Dad! She... actually, she said a lot of things to me. She said she felt bad about the way she's been. Like... really bad. She said she's gonna try and be better from now on. I know it's kind of a hard thing to believe coming from HER of all people. Hell, even if Jonas said that I'd believe it more. But... I just want to have hope." Hunk explained.

"Well, that's certainly a... revelation." Marcus said slowly.

"Do you believe that anyone can come back from the things they've done?" Hunk asked.

Marcus didn't reply right away, instead he looked down at the floor.

"For a while, I did. Now... I believe MOST people can. But, there are always those select few who are just... past that point of return." Marcus answered.

"I guess I understand." Hunk replied after a beat of silence.

Back in Avery and Damien's room, Avery was tossing and turning in the bed. Damien looked over in his direction and sighed.

"Go to sleep, Ave." Damien groaned.

"I'm fucking TRYING." Avery growled in response, "You know what, fuck this. I'm gonna go see if Jonas and Spencer have any extra blankets. I'll be right back."

Avery stood up from the bed and stormed out of the room before Damien even had the chance to reply.

Avery made his way down the halls of the school. They were dark, save for the light that comes through the windows on the outer hallways.

As Avery approached a corner, he heard the creaking of footsteps from around the corner. He froze, confused.

"Hello?" He called out. No reply.

"Come on, quit screwing around. Who's over there?" Avery inched closer, "Star, if you're gonna jump out and scare me I swear..."

Just as Avery was about to swing around and surprise the mystery person, the mystery person swung around. It was a walker. The walker growled as it grabbed at Avery's arm.

"Oh, SHIT!" Avery yelled as he yanked his arm away and backpedaled.

The walker grew more agitated, and lunged at him again. Avery was quick, and dodged it. The walker now had its back to the wall. Avery kicked it in the chest, making it fall back and slump to the floor. Then, he raised his foot and proceeded to smash its skull repeatedly until it stopped moving.

"What the fuck..." Avery panted.

Suddenly, more growls became audible as Avery turned his head to look where the first walker had come from. Avery rounded the corner. Most of the walkers were several feet back, but they took notice of Avery as soon as he came into their field of vision.

"Oh, shit..." Avery backed up in horror.

In Pidge's room, Pidge was lying awake, staring up at the bottom of the top bunk bed. Bae Bae was curled up near her feet, seemingly sleeping peacefully.

Pidge rolled over on her side, shutting her eyes. A few seconds passed, before she opened them again, groaning. Bae Bae suddenly appeared at her face, licking her cheek.

"Hey, girl," Pidge giggled quietly, ruffling her fur, "you can't sleep either, huh?"

Bae Bae tilted her head as Pidge sat up and looked at her.

"At least you're not still awake because you're worrying that the decisions you make will cause the deaths of your friends." Pidge sighed heavily.

Bae Bae leaned forward and licked at her hand. Pidge smiled a little.

"You think they're in good hands? I know I'm not always THE leader, but, when it does fall to me... I dunno. Do you think I'm doing a good job?" Pidge asked Bae Bae as she petted her behind her ears.

Bae Bae's tongue drooped out of her mouth as she got closer to Pidge. Bae Bae started sniffing, pressing her cold, wet nose against Pidge's chest.

"Are you telling me I should trust my heart? Or that I shouldn't worry because my friends love me? It's hard to interpret messages from a dog." Pidge couldn't help but laugh.

Bae Bae sniffed Pidge's shirt again, then suddenly pulled back and sneezed, followed by her huffing out of her nose a few times and shaking her head.

"Yes, I know! I'm getting my shirt washed tomorrow when we do laundry. If it's not Mom, it's you now." Pidge scoffed.

Bae Bae just tilted her head again innocently and gave a lopsided dog grin.

"Aww, you're just a big happy ball of fluff." Pidge gushed as she tickled Bae Bae's belly.

"Well, surprisingly I feel better. Maybe I should talk to you more, Bae Bae." Pidge shrugged, "Night, girl."

Pidge set her head back down on her pillow and let her eyes close. Bae Bae settled back down in a circle beside her. Pidge was almost asleep, when a shout pierced through the hallways.

"BITERS!!! HELP!!!"

"Jesus FUCKING Christ!" Pidge yelled as she sprang out of bed.

Pidge grabbed her knife and her gun and swung open her door, running in the direction of Avery's cry for help.

"What's going on?!" Veronica cried as she, Lance, and Nancy all sat up in their beds.

"Are there biters inside?!" Lance climbed down from the bed above Veronica, grabbing his rifle.

"I-I'm not sure! Go!" Nancy shook her head.

"Come on! We gotta help!" Lance ran out of the room, Veronica close behind.

"Daddy, what's happening?!" Nadia whimpered as Luis grabbed his knife.

"There might be a few monsters inside. We have to go take care of them." Luis quickly explained, "You two stay here, lock the door behind me and do not open it AT ALL until you hear me on the other side. Understand?"

"O-Okay." Silvio nodded.

Luis turned and ran out into the hall as Silvio ran up and slammed the door shut, twisting the lock.

"Get back, you ugly shit!" Avery grimaced as he held a walker back as it pinned him against a wall.

Suddenly, the walker was shot through the side of the head. Grace lowered her gun as Jade ran up, body slamming a walker into the wall and stabbing it in the head.

"How'd they get inside?!" Jade asked, panicked.

"Beats me!" Avery threw his hands up.

"Here, take this!" Grace quickly handed Avery her knife.

Pidge then ran up alongside the three of them. Lance, Veronica, Matt, Colleen, Luis, Keith, James, Rizavi, Ryan, and Windy all followed shortly behind.

"What happened?!" Pidge asked quickly.

"Look for yourself!" Avery pointed at the approaching walkers.

One of them lunged for Pidge, before Keith pushed through everyone and thrusted his sword up through its chin.

"Don't just stand there! Take them out!" Keith scoffed as he sliced the top of another walker's head off.

Veronica ran up, driving her knife into the eye socket of a walker. Lance covered her as he shot two walkers in the head with his rifle. Matt grabbed a walker by the hair and slammed its face against the wall, before swinging his knife into its temple. A second walker grabbed at his arm, but he caught it.

"Hey, Pidge! Catch!" Matt called out.

Matt threw the walker to Pidge, who extended her foot, causing it to trip. While it was on the ground, Pidge stabbed in the back of the head.

At the back end of the herd of walkers, Shay and Tara emerged.

"What in the hell is happening?!" Tara exclaimed.

"Shit, biters!" Shay quickly ran back in the other direction to grab weapons.

Hunk, Marcus, Shiro, Adam, Marco, Curtis, and Jake all ran out on the other side of the herd of walkers.

"Ahh!" Hunk cried, raising his gun and shooting a walker in the head out of impulse.

"Everyone ready your weapons! Now!" Shiro shouted, pulling out the knife he'd grabbed.

Adam walked forward, stabbing a walker in the back of the head as it was distracted. Curtis pulled out his gun, shooting a walker up through the chin, then quickly shot a second one that was inches from grabbing Adam.

"We've almost got them!" Rizavi cheered as she whipped a walker across the face with her gun.

Windy held a knife in her hand, watching a walker approach her. Windy raised her knife, and when the walker was close enough, she brought it down into the top of its head.

"Fuck you, you son of a bitch!" Windy growled as she stabbed it several times.

She kicked the corpse away, before she suddenly ducked as more walkers lunged for her. One of them trips past her and is stabbed in the head by Ryan. Windy stands up and swings her knife across the face of the other walker, then drives it into its forehead.

Just then, one of the doors in the hallway opened.

"What the fuck is going-?! AAH!" A boy tried to ask, when three walkers immediately pounced on him, biting into his arms and torso.

"NO!" Grace screamed, watching through the sea of walkers as he was eaten.

More doors suddenly swung open. Spencer was behind one of them. A walker tried to grab for him.

"Oh, FUCK!" Spencer lurched back, falling to the ground.

The walker was then shot in the head several times, Jonas holding the gun. He made brief eye contact with Pidge, before the latter turned and punched a walker to the ground. Jonas ran out of the room, turning and shooting a walker in the head.

Another door opened, a girl tried to come out with a knife, but a walker right next to the door sank its teeth into her arm.

"No! No!" The girl cried as the walker bit her again.

"Oh, my God..." Pidge watched the girl's flesh be ripped off her arm, freezing.

Pidge turned to charge and kill the walker biting into her, when she suddenly envisioned her father in her place.

"Couldn't save me, huh Katie?" Sam looked at her, before more walkers engulfed him.

In reality, a couple more walkers had swarmed the girl, taking her down and tearing into her stomach. Her screams filled the hallway. Jonas narrowed his eyes at Pidge as he watched her turn away from the girl sadly.

Lance shot another walker with his rifle. James stabbed a walker in the temple as Jake provided cover fire. A walker tried to attack James from behind, but he ripped the knife from the first walker's head and spun back around, stabbing this walker in the eye.

Hunk knocked a walker to the ground, then shot it in the head as Shay ran up and stabbed a walker in the head beside him. The two briefly smiled to each other. Shiro punched a walker with his metal fist, its brains splattering onto the wall. Colleen used the end of her rifle to smash a walker's head in against the wall. She quickly flipped it around to shoot a walker in the face, then two more that were behind Matt and Pidge.

Veronica kicked the last standing walker to the ground, stomping its head in. The group stood around, all catching their breath as the only walkers left being the ones feasting on the two dead students.

"Fuck, man..." Spencer looked at the dead body of the girl with sadness.

About a half dozen walkers were eating her body, whereas five were eating the body of the boy. Spencer pulled out his knife, stabbing the first walker by the girl in the head. Shay stabbed two more dead, shoving their bodies away. Marcus smashed one's head in, then knocked another back, and proceeded to stomp in its skull. Curtis put his gun to the temple of the last walker and shot it through the head.

"I'm sorry this happened to you..." Curtis said as he now aimed the gun at the dead girl. He blinked slowly, then pulled the trigger, preventing her from turning.

Matt stabbed the first walker eating the boy. Ryan and Windy came up behind the walkers and each took one down. Keith sliced off the head of one, then quickly stabbed the head as it snapped its teeth at him. Grace kicked the final walker onto its back, glaring daggers at it. It reached up to grab at her, but she aimed the gun and shot it in the head six times, before Jade put a hand on her shoulder, making her relax as tears formed in both of their eyes.

"You okay, Windy?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah. I'm getting better with the knife." Windy nodded and smiled, holding out her knife proudly, before she turned to Grace and Jade, "Hey... I'm sorry about those two people. No one deserved to die tonight."

"You're damn right they didn't." Jonas sneered, subtly eyeing Pidge.

"How'd the biters even get in anyway?" Avery asked.

"There is that hole in the back fence." Marco remembered.

"Oh, that's right!" Jade snapped her fingers, "They must've heard a noise and all pushed themselves through."

"But we've been having people take watch on that hole 24/7 until we get it sealed." Tara reminded her, "So... who was on watch tonight?"

"Uh... wasn't it Hunk?" Rizavi raised an eyebrow, eyeing Hunk.

"Son of a bitch..." Jonas tightened the grip on his gun.

Hunk took a step back and held out his hands.

"H-Hold on! It wasn't me! I wasn't-!" Hunk tried to start.

"Bullshit!" Jonas cut him off as he stormed closer, "Don't try and save your own ass! You weren't where you were supposed to be and now people are DEAD!"

Jonas aimed his gun in Hunk's direction and was about to press the barrel against his forehead, when Marcus stepped between them, forcefully removing the gun from his hands.

"Touch my son, I dare you." Marcus warned.

"Hunk... what happened?" Pidge asked slowly.

"I was on guard tonight, yes. But... Elyse came to talk to me. We did for a little bit, then SHE offered to take over for me." Hunk explained.

"And you LET that crazy bitch?" Veronica scoffed.

"Well, y-yeah! She seemed genuine!" Hunk defended.

"How do we know you didn't just make this up to save your skin? Since when does ELYSE offer to do something for others?" Jonas rolled his eyes.

"It's true. Hunk told me about her right before this all happened." Marcus corroborated.

Just then, a light growling came from the ground. The boy was beginning to reanimate.

"Jesus..." Colleen looked away as the boy's heavily devoured body stood up.

"I got him..." Windy raised her knife.

Taking a deep breath, Windy waited until the boy shambled toward her a little more, then she swung her knife, lodging it deep in his temple, putting him down for good.

"Hey, speaking of the devil," Rizavi looked around at everyone standing among them, "where IS Elyse?"

"NO!"

Another shout carried from down the hall. Shay's eyes went wide.

"Star?! STAR!" Shay took off running down the hall back toward her and Star's room.

Veronica ran after her first, followed by Lance, Hunk, Grace, and Adam.

In Shay and Star's room, the undead Elyse has strayed from the herd, having found Star. Star was backed up against the wall. She aimed her gun and fired, the bullet hitting Elyse in the shoulder.

"No! Help!" Star screamed as she held walker Elyse back with all of her strength.

Veronica then bursted into the room. Her eyes fell on the struggling Star, and she ran over to the rescue. Veronica pulled Elyse back, staring into her pale, undead face and eyes. She was shocked for a brief second, before she scowled, and drove the knife into the top of Elyse's head, putting her down.

Veronica chucked her corpse to the ground just as Lance, Hunk, Shay, Grace, and Adam all ran in.

"Star?!" Shay dashed over to her younger sister.

"I'm okay! Veronica saved me..." Star embraced her tightly.

"Holy shit... Elyse." Grace panted.

"Those walkers must've overwhelmed her out there. Killed her." Hunk surmised.

Adam knelt down by her body, examining the dried blood all down her arms. He lifted one of them and noticed the cut along her forearm. He checked the other one, seeing the same thing.

"Elyse didn't die from walkers. No bites on her body. She killed herself." Adam revealed.

"She... what?" Lance looked down at the body uneasily.

"There's two huge cuts going up both of her arms. The only explanation is that she went... crazy, or something, cut herself and died." Adam continued.

"But that doesn't explain how the walkers got in. Surely Elyse... killing herself wouldn't be something loud enough to draw that many." Shay pointed out.

"Maybe not..." Adam rubbed his chin, "Or maybe, she-!"

"She let in the walkers on purpose..." Hunk finished for him in a defeated tone.

"What's wrong, buddy?" Lance turned to him.

"Nothing, I guess... I just thought... after she'd talked to me... maybe she'd changed. Seen the light and turned over a new leaf." Hunk just shook his head, "But I'm starting to think I just have too much faith in humanity."

Hunk turned and left the room without another word.

Back in the hallway with all of the dead walkers, Matt reached down and grabbed one of the walker corpses.

"Man, clearing these bodies out again is gonna be a bitch..." Matt complained.

Shiro grabbed onto a body as well, dragging it in the direction of where the walkers had come from. As Damien dragged a body past Pidge, Jonas looked at her again.

"You could've saved her." He suddenly grumbled.

"W-What?" Pidge turned to him.

"You hesitated. You LET her die." Jonas pointed a finger at her.

"N-No... I-I couldn't get through, there were walkers everywhere, I..." Pidge stammered.

"What is it with you and your people and your excuses?!" Jonas laughed dryly.

"That's enough out of you. You should quit while you're ahead." Colleen glared at him.

"Whatever..." Jonas turned and stormed off.

"Jonas... wait!" Tara and another boy took off after him.

Colleen came up behind her daughter, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay, Katie?" Colleen asked.

"No. He's right. I froze up and I could've saved a life tonight. But... I didn't." Pidge sighed.

"...Why did you freeze, then?"

Pidge was silent for longer than usual.

"I thought about Dad." She answered simply, then turned and made a beeline right for her room.

Colleen watched her walk away with a stunned expression on her face.

In the walls of Plaht City, William was in the bathroom in his and Deborah's bedroom. He cupped his hands under the sink and rubbed the water on his face. He turned off the water shortly after and walked out.

As he did, he noticed Deborah standing near the door, her arms crossed.

"What?" William's hands fell as he shook his head at her.

"What really happened out there?" Deborah interrogated suddenly, "I know you. There's no way that you confronted them and didn't get blood on your hands."

"Deb..." William tried to start, but Deborah stopped him.

"I don't wanna hear it! I don't need to listen to you spew that crap you gave everyone else again. Tell me what you did." Debora repeated.

"...Fine. Bryan didn't want to come back with me, started pulling away. Carter got between us trying to side with him. I killed him." William huffed.

"God DAMMIT." Deborah groaned, "Do you know what people will fucking say if they hear about this?!"

"Then we make sure people DON'T." William stated matter of factly.

"And you think that everyone there who was with you is just going to agree to that?" Deborah pointed out.

"They don't have to. They weren't around when I killed Carter, so they think he got killed by those school people, just like the rest." William explained.

"Jesus Christ..." Deborah put her hand to her forehead, "I've seen Shawn snooping around lately. I feel like he's going to try something soon."

William perked up suddenly, remembering that Shawn was there when he killed Jenny and Zach.

"Have you seen him talking to any people?" William asked quickly.

"Not from what I've seen." Deborah answered.

"Either way. We can't risk him telling anyone else." William turned away and walked to his side of the bed, "You're gonna have to take care of this one for me."

"What are you suggesting I do?" Deborah questioned.

"I think you know. You don't really think that you'd be safe if he exposed me, do you? We'd both either be dead or out on our asses. Are you gonna do this or what." William looked at her with an intense stare.

"...Okay." Deborah agreed, shaking her head.

The faint evening light shone through the window to Pidge's room. She sat sideways on her bed, legs hanging over the side, head down in her hands.

A soft knock to the door made her sit up and turn. Hunk peeked in the slightly ajar door and gave a small smile.

"Hey, Pidge? How're you holding up?" Hunk asked as he gingerly stepped inside the room.

"I'm... holding up. You?" Pidge shrugged.

"The same, basically. The others are almost done cleaning up. I couldn't... be out there anymore. I didn't want to watch them do it." Hunk came further in and set something down on the desk nearby. "I asked Jade if she had anything we could sorta... distract ourselves with, at least for a while. She showed me this!"

Hunk proudly gestured to the device sitting on the desk. A CD player. Pidge raised an eyebrow and stood up.

"A CD player? Does it even still work?" She asked, "Hey, if it doesn't, let me take a crack at it and I'm sure it'll be playing tunes in no time."

"No, it works. It runs on batteries, which this place... seems to have a lot of. Jade told me that she and Grace like to play songs when they have their own time together. She even lent me one of their discs." Hunk fiddled in his pocket gently for the disc.

Pidge took it carefully from him and examined the graphic on the front.

"The Heathers soundtrack?" Pidge read aloud.

"Grace liked musicals before all this. Don't judge." Hunk lightly nudged her arm.

"Who said I was? I like my fair share of musicals, too." Pidge retorted, a smirk on her lips.

"Fair enough, so do I." Hunk nodded after a second, "Wanna stick the disc in? Maybe a song can just... take our minds off of everything that's happened."

Pidge also nodded, taking the disc from Hunk and inserting it into the CD player.

"Got a song choice?" Pidge asked.

"...Seventeen." Hunk answered after briefly thinking it over.

"Alright..." Pidge fiddled with the buttons until she reached the correct track. "Wanna sing along? I think I remember most of the words. I do have a near perfect memory." She bragged.

"Maybe... why don't... you start, a-and I'll jump in." Hunk suggested.

"Sure, whatever floats your boat." Pidge smiled as she pressed the play button.

The song's first beats filled the room, and the words followed.

🎶 Fine, we're damaged

Really damaged

But that does not make us wise

We're not special

We're not different

We don't choose who lives or dies 🎶

Hunk listened to Pidge sing along in awe. Her voice was much better than he had ever thought.

🎶 Let's be normal, see bad movies

Sneak a beer and watch TV

We'll bake brownies

Or go bowling

Don't you want a life with me?

Can't we be seventeen?

That's all I want to do

If you could let me in

I could be good with you 🎶

Now Pidge waved her arm quickly in his direction, signaling for Hunk to start singing along to the other lines in the song.

🎶 People hurt us 🎶

Hunk took a deep breath.

🎶 Or they vanish 🎶

🎶 And you're right,

It really blows

But we let go... 🎶

🎶 Take a deep breath... 🎶

🎶 And go buy some summer clothes 🎶

As the two of them sang along, their voices low and soft, they slowly grew closer. Pidge looked up at Hunk and giggled softly. Hunk gave her a soft smile in return.

🎶 We'll go camping 🎶

🎶 Play some poker 🎶

🎶 And we'll eat some chili fries 🎶

Pidge extended her hand toward Hunk, who looked at it almost like he didn't expect to see it outstretched in his direction. Regardless, Hunk grabbed Pidge's hand as the song's lyrics ramped up.

🎶 Maybe prom night 🎶

🎶 Maybe dancing 🎶

Pidge and Hunk pulled each other closer in preparation. Now their voices blended together as they both belted out the verse with feeling.

🎶 Don't stop looking in my eyes

Your eyes

Can't we be seventeen?

Is that so hard to do?

If you could let me in

I could be good with you

Let us be seventeen

If we've still got the right 🎶

Pidge and Hunk met each other's gaze once more as Pidge continued her part.

🎶 So what's it gonna be? 🎶

Hunk's eyes sparkled against the evening light coming through the window. Pidge watched his face become one of pure sincerity as he sang.

🎶 I wanna be with you

Wanna be with you 🎶

Hunk's small smile between that line and the next almost made Pidge falter from her rhythm.

🎶 Tonight! 🎶

The two of them held the high note for as long as the song had them. Their voices weren't exactly perfectly blended in the harmony, but they didn't care. Hunk didn't care. When their note ended and the music played in between verses, Pidge looked back at Hunk, who, again, only smiled.

The lyrics came back.

🎶 Yeah, we're damaged 🎶

🎶 Badly damaged 🎶

Their voices met in the air once more.

🎶 But your love's too good to lose 🎶

🎶 Hold me tighter 🎶

🎶 Even closer 🎶

🎶 I'll stay if I'm what you choose 🎶

Hunk's heart was pounding. He couldn't tell if his ears were ringing or not.

🎶 Can't we be seventeen? 🎶

🎶 If I am what you choose 🎶

Hunk's eyes were screaming down at Pidge. Begging for their message to be heard.

🎶 If we've still got the right 🎶

🎶 'Cause you're the one I choose 🎶

🎶 You're the one I choose 🎶

Hunk sang that line with as much emphasis as he could. At last, Pidge's eyes sparked, and sharpened at attention, just as the final line of the song left their mouths, slow and hushed.

🎶 You're the one I choose 🎶

Hunk and Pidge stayed frozen in place, still holding each other tight. At last Hunk tore his gaze away and moved to turned off the CD player. As soon as Hunk's embrace left her skin, Pidge felt cold. She turned and looked at him, her mouth slightly open as her very advanced brain spent all this time trying to process what had happened.

"So... am... a-am I the one you choose?" Hunk held his hands tightly together and approached her again, "Because you. Pidge. Katie Marie Holt. The brave, headstrong, take-no-bullshit girl I've known for the past few years. You're the one I choose. A-And I... I wanna be with you."

Pidge didn't realize she was crying until she felt a tear roll off her cheek and hit her hand. She wiped her eyes, and when she looked up, Hunk's eyes were watery, too.

"You... want to be with... me?" Pidge repeated slowly.

"Yes. Yes I-I do. I want to be there for you. I want to hug you, and hold you. And... kiss you. I like you, Pidge. I like you a lot, I lo-..." Hunk stopped himself by covering his mouth.

"...Love you?" Pidge finished, tilting her head ever so slightly.

Hunk just nodded.

The two of them stood in silence for another minute, and Hunk finally turned around away from Pidge, who was still staring at the ground.

"Was I too sudden? I feel like I came across too strong. Shoot, I... that's on me. Pidge, I'm sorry if all this is coming off as..." Hunk turned around to apologize to the short girl.

Only to be met with her lips pressing firmly against his.

Pidge cupped Hunk's face as the latter leaned into the kiss. After a few more seconds, Pidge pulled away, and the two of them stood there, panting, faces deep shades of red and only a few inches from each other.

"I wanna be with you, too." Pidge revealed quietly.

A big grin spread across Hunk's face. In an instant, he wrapped his arms around Pidge and spun her much lighter weighted body around in a circle, before setting her back down. As soon as he did, she pulled his face in for another quick kiss.

"Hunk... middle name Garrett. I... I love you, too." Pidge could barely speak through her smile.

"Was my confession smooth enough?" Hunk asked, eyes big and hopeful like a small child's.

"I'd say just about as smooth as those lips of yours." Pidge smirked as Hunk took a slow breath in. Pidge chuckled triumphantly, "How's that for smooth?"

In the headmaster's office, Shiro, Adam, Grace, Lance, Veronica, Lorenzo, James, and Keith were all gathered. The door suddenly opened, Allura and Romelle entering.

"Alright, we're here." Romelle began, "Where's Pidge? Hunk? Shouldn't they be here, too?"

"Hunk's busy clearing bodies." Shiro informed, "He also told us that Pidge is... a bit upset about everything so she's not coming."

"Understandable. I feel a little bad that we weren't there to help fight them off. Shay found us in the hallway and told us what was going on. We went to make sure the other doors and windows were secure, also checking for any other walkers inside. I can't imagine watching those two people die up front like that." Allura explained.

Grace turned to look at Lorenzo.

"How's Bryan doing?" She asked.

"They're fine. With what happened today and now tonight, they don't seem to be sleeping. I told them to at least try tonight. It really sucks..." Lorenzo said.

"Yeah... Lukas was kind of the same. I'm grateful the biters weren't in his hallway, but... I would've rather they weren't inside at all." Grace looked at the floor.

"I agree." Lorenzo simply nodded.

"So, what IS this meeting about?" James asked.

"First off, Elyse." Adam began.

"Oh, God..." Lance grimaced as Veronica rubbed his shoulder comfortingly.

"Why do we think she killed herself? I know she wasn't the most... SANE person of the bunch. But, there has to be an actual reason." Adam said.

"Why can't the reason BE that she was crazy? You never know what people like her will do." Keith rolled his eyes.

"I'm with Keith. What's the point in even thinking any more about it." James agreed, "No offense to you or your people, Grace, but I'm kinda glad she's gone."

"God, I hate saying this, but... that makes two of us." Grace sighed deeply.

"Three." Lance muttered.

"Four." Veronica added.

"Onto the more urgent matter. We need to fix that gap in the fence." Shiro stated.

"Definitely. We don't need any more nights like tonight." Keith nodded.

"Are there any materials here to do that?" Lorenzo asked.

"If there was, this wouldn't be an issue." Adam scoffed.

"Guess that means it's time for a supply run." Allura said.

"I can go." Lance volunteered.

"Lance, no... not after tonight." Veronica insisted.

"I-I can. I'm fine..." Lance tried to say, but Veronica just gave him an unmoving look"...Okay. I'll stay."

"We can decide who goes out tomorrow. We don't need that big of a team to go out there, maybe... two or three people at most." Shiro decided.

"What exactly are we looking for?" James raised an eyebrow.

"Some kind of wire, maybe. Something we can loop through the fence and it'll be secure enough to keep things from pushing through it." Shiro explained.

"Where would be the best place to find this stuff? Hardware stores maybe?" Lorenzo folded his arms over his chest.

"Probably. Although maybe if there isn't one around here, you could get lucky and find some in someone's house. If they've got a tool shed or something." Shiro proposed.

"Gotcha." Lorenzo nodded.

"Is that all? Can we get some sleep now? I feel like I'm gonna pass out." Keith was already walking toward the door.

"Yes. Everyone get some rest. Today has been... eventful." Shiro said slowly.

James reached the door first, going out into the hallway, followed by Keith, then everyone else.

"Hey, where're you going?" Keith questioned, watching James walk the other way.

"I'm just going to take a quick shower to cool off." James answered, confused.

"Good. Because if you said you were going to take watch on the wall, then I would've had to drag you to bed." Keith smirked a little, before he turned away, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight...?" James raises an eyebrow, then just turned and walked in the direction of the showers.

"I think I'm gonna check on everyone again, like I was doing before this happened. Make sure everybody's holding up okay." Grace said to Allura and Romelle.

"Want some company?" Allura offered, "I could use a stroll around the school. I'm not exactly tired yet."

"I am..." Romelle yawned as she rubbed her eyes, "But I'll come with you, too."

"No, get some rest, love." Allura wrapped her arms around her and pecked her on the cheek.

Romelle's eyes closed as she smiled and hugged her girlfriend back.

"Okay. Love you." Romelle relented as she walked away down the hall.

"Love you too, babe." Allura blew a kiss in her direction, before her and Grace walked down the other hall.

In Pidge's room, Pidge was now sitting upright on her bed still. She was smiling a little, but also appeared to be deep in thought.

"Knock knock." Matt suddenly appeared in her doorway, knocking on the door. Colleen was also behind him, "Permission to come in?"

"Sure." Pidge looked up and nodded at them.

Colleen and Matt came into her room, shutting the door. Matt sits down next to Pidge, while Colleen sets her gun down on the desk and sits on the bed across from her.

"How are you feeling?" Matt asked.

"Well... I'm not sure..." Pidge clasped her hands together.

"We passed Hunk in the hall. He said he talked to you a little bit ago." Colleen said.

"Oh yeah! He, uh, said some very... comforting things." Pidge looked away, blushing and smiling.

"What did he say?" Matt narrowed his eyes, poking Pidge on the cheek.

"Well... he said that he... he... loves me." Pidge watched as both of their eyes widened, "And then I told him... I love him, too. So we're... dating now? I guess..."

"You and Hunk? That's so awesome!" Matt wrapped his arms around Pidge in a tight hug.

"Ow... crushing... my bones." Pidge gasped for air.

"Sorry... but I'm just so happy for you! Your first boyfriend!" Matt exclaimed, chuckling at his last remark.

Pidge punched him in the arm. Matt just rubbed it and pouted.

"We're happy for you, Katie. I'm glad Hunk makes you happy, too." Colleen smiled.

"Yeah. He's good like that..." Pidge trailed off, her smile faltering a little.

"Alright, what's wrong?" Colleen asked.

"I let one of those people die." Pidge shook her head.

"Come on, Pidge, you didn't-!" Matt started.

"Yes I did! I had an opening, but I stopped! I froze like an idiot! All because... because I saw Dad." Pidge buried her face in her hands.

"You... You did?" Colleen was slow to respond.

"I did." Pidge nodded, tears brimming, "I saw him there in the hall. Clear as day, being torn apart by walkers in that girl's place and I just... I don't know!"

"W-Well... why do you think you saw him?" Matt broke the silence that followed.

"I feel... like I could've done more. Mom and I traveled so far to get you both back, we get told that you died, we find out that that's a lie, we rescue you from that psychotic woman, only for Dad to then get killed because we weren't fast enough. Because I wasn't." Pidge's voice quivered.

"That was in no way your fault, Katie, sweetheart. If you want to bring out the specifics, I'm the one who killed the walker that... bit him. I'm the one who should've been faster." Colleen almost laughed bitterly, but she didn't.

"You can't blame yourself, Mom." Pidge looked at her.

"And why not?" Colleen retorted.

"Because us even going there was my idea! My decision caused EVERYTHING! Shiro's arm... Coran... Lance's dad... fucking EVERYTHING!" Pidge screamed, "I'm supposed to be helping lead everyone here but I'm just a fucking screw up!"

"Hey... no, Pidge! No! You're the furthest thing from a screw up!" Matt pulled her in close for a hug as tears fell from her eyes.

"Prove it." Pidge mumbled gloomily as she wiped tears off of her glasses with her shirt.

"Because Dad said so." Matt offered a smile, "Back when everything first started, right after our call got cut, I got out of the city after seeing some... messed up shit. Some people helped me get back to Dad at the house. For a while we survived there, and every day he would talk about you and Mom. He was so positive that you two were still alive, fighting, because he knew that's who both of you are. And he was right, Pidge. You fought your way to us and you found us again. Dad never gave up hope on you and neither did I, and I never will."

"You're a strong girl, Katie. The strongest one I've ever met. But you need to know that you can't blame yourself for this. I miss Sam every day, and I've been wishing that I was there with him from the start." Colleen got down and held Pidge by the shoulder as she spoke.

"Dad was a pretty good survivor at the start, mostly because of the information he was getting from the Garrison. He was almost like our group's leader for a while." Matt remembered.

"Who were you with at the start, Matt? I've never asked you before, but I've always wondered." Pidge suddenly turned and asked, wiping her eyes some more.

"Well aside from Dad, I was with a woman who saved me at the restaurant, a police officer who saved us both, another man that we picked up along the way, and the Edwards family." Matt listed off.

"Wait, the Edwards were with you? Are they...?" Colleen started.

"Yeah... mostly. When we first got back to the neighborhood, Mason was already dead. I, uh... put him down. Virginia and Colin survived with us until we left for the Garrison. They stayed behind at their house. Colin must've got bitten at some point before all of us came back after you saved us. Pidge and I found him turned, too..." Matt explained.

"Poor kid... how old was he? Ten?" Colleen looked to the floor.

"Nine..." Pidge corrected.

"Good lord..." Colleen muttered.

"God knows where Virginia is now... part of me wishes I'd checked the house for her after I put down Colin. At least for some type of closure." Matt said.

"Well, no use dwelling on it, I guess." Pidge rubbed Matt's shoulder.

"Just like you shouldn't dwell about Dad and blame yourself." Colleen cut in.

"Mom's right." Matt agreed.

"I feel like sometimes there needs to be the perfect balance between remembering someone, and letting them go. It's always okay to keep someone in your thoughts, but you have to be sure it doesn't cloud your path going forward." Colleen smiled.

"Y-Yeah... Yeah, you guys are right." Pidge reached out and pulled both of them in on either side of her for a family hug, "Thank you. I love you guys so much."

"We love you, too, Pidgeon." Matt sighed happily.

"We're the Holts. Our love will outlast anything." Colleen chuckled.

Bae Bae stood from where she was laying in the bedroom and trotted over to the three of them. She slipped her face in between Matt and Colleen's legs and looked up at them.

"Looks like we almost forgot someone." Matt cooed as he scratched Bae Bae's ears.

"We'll never forget Bae Bae. Dad's the one who picked her out." Pidge smiled fondly at the memory.

"Feeling better now?" Matt asked her.

"Yeah. I feel good now. I think I'll try to get some sleep now." Pidge nodded.

"Alright, hon. Goodnight." Colleen kissed Pidge on the forehead as she and Matt stood up and left the room.

Out in the hallway, Veronica and Curtis were talking with each other as Colleen and Matt exited the room.

"Oh, hey guys." Curtis waved with a smile.

"Hey, man. You guys good?" Matt smiled back.

"Yep. We're just heading back to our rooms now. I'm still worried about Lance..." Veronica rubbed her arm.

"You think all this about Elyse will stick with him?" Colleen guessed.

"I'm afraid it will. Lance hasn't had much experience dating, no offense to him, but I'm worried Elyse's toxic tendencies will... turn him off to wanting to date again. It could prevent him from being happy, and as his older sister I've always felt this urge to protect him ever since he was born." Veronica rambled.

"I know how you feel." Matt nodded, thinking about the conversation that had just unfolded.

"I'm sure after a little time, he'll be alright." Curtis reassured.

"Sure hope so... honestly wish I could've killed Elyse myself, seeing her always up in his face like that." Veronica scowled, "But... what's done is done."

Matt also scowled to himself, now thinking about Jonas.

"Hey, have either of you seen Jonas recently? I want to talk to him." Matt subtly balled his fists.

"Uhh... no, actually. Not since we killed the rest of the walkers." Curtis shrugged.

"Damn... thanks anyway, though." Matt sighed.

"No problem. See you guys tomorrow." Veronica waved goodbye as she and Curtis started to walk away.

"Hope you find him." Curtis said.

"Night!" Matt called as he and Colleen also headed off toward their room.

In another part of the school, Damien walked down the hall, holding a note in his hand. He approached the door the note told him to go to, and slowly entered.

Inside the bedroom, Jonas, Tara, Spencer, and the other boy were standing around each other. The three of them looked over at him as he shut the door behind him.

"Alright, I'm here. What is this all about?" Damien questioned as he approached the three of them.

"This about taking back this school from those parasites." Jonas deadpanned.

"WHAT?!" Damien shouted.

"K-Keep your voice down..." Tara shifted uneasily.

"Don't act like they're so innocent. Ever since they showed up, how many of our people have died? FOUR. And how many people have they lost? Zero. They're leeching off of our walls, our food, and our supplies while they let us all die one by one. I say we put a stop to it." Jonas sneered.

"Parker was my best friend... THEY made us clear the inside of the school and got him killed!" Spencer crossed his arms.

"No fucking way, dude! I'm not gonna be a part of your little coup." Damien scoffed.

"Come ON, Damien, you're one of the most reasonable people here! You and Avery both, I would've asked him to join us, but he's too busy kissing ass to Grace and Jade." Jonas rolled his eyes.

"He's their FRIEND. They saved his LIFE tonight. And I'm their friend, too, dumbass! You really think I'M not going to say something and get your petty ass exposed?! Get real." Damien turned and stormed off to the door.

Jonas reached behind him and grabbed something off of his belt. A gun.

"I don't fucking think so!" Jonas lunged at Damien, tackling him to the ground.

"No! Stop fighting, for fuck's sake!" Tara cried as the two boys rolled around on the floor.

"Get off of me!" Damien kicked Jonas in the stomach and crawled out of his reach.

"Fuck you!" Jonas stood up just as Damien did.

Damien threw a punch, hitting Jonas in the cheek. Jonas didn't falter. He shoved Damien up against the wall, aiming the gun to his forehead.

"Jonas, STOP! This is going too far!" Tara begged.

"Please man, don't kill him..." Spencer murmured.

"P-Put the gun down..." Damien breathed quietly.

"Tell me: if I do, am I making a mistake?" Jonas questioned darkly.

Damien didn't answer right away. Jonas pressed the gun harder into him.

"AM I. Making a mistake?" He repeated.

"No. You're not." Damien answered stoically.

"Dammit, Jonas, how many times to I have to tell you to stop?! Just let him go!" Tara stomped her foot on the ground as she shouted at him.

Jonas looked at the ground and groaned.

"Fine. Get the fuck out of here if you want to side with THEM so bad. If I find out that you told anyone, you're first on my list of people I'm gonna shoot." Jonas shoved Damien toward the door.

Damien turned back to face them for a second. Tara looked at him with a hint of guilt, while Spencer wore a look of indifference. Damien smoothed his clothes off, before he quickly left the room.

Jonas turned back to the others, tucking the gun away again.

"Now. Where were we?"

Dawn was breaking over Plaht City. Shawn was on guard duty by the gate up in the guard post. He rested the rifle against the wall and sighed, looking down at the road leading away from the community. The sky was becoming a lovely shade of pinkish orange as the sun rose.

Shawn turned around, surveying the inside of the community. As he did, he noticed William from afar, and he suddenly scowled. Just as he did so, below him in the street, Annie was walking past.

"Hey! Annie!" Shawn called out to her.

Annie stopped and looked up at Shawn. She smiled and waved up at him.

"Oh, hey Shawn! What's up?" Annie greeted.

"Nothing much, just on guard duty. But, uh, I just remembered I have to go and talk to William about something. Could you cover for me for about... five minutes?" Shawn pleaded.

"Sure thing! I don't mind, especially since I wasn't really out here for a reason to start with." Annie shrugged.

"Thank you so much." Shawn breathed a sigh of relief as he climbed down the ladder to face Annie.

"Hey, no problem. You're my friend." Annie patted him on the shoulder.

"The rifle is already up there for you. I'll be back before you know it!" Shawn called as he sprinted down the street in the direction of Levi's house.

Shawn set his sights on William's house as he walked up the road. As he got closer, he passed a group of people, consisting of John, Kelsey, Levi, Layla, Andy, and Benjamin.

"Hey, Shawn! Come join us!" Kelsey called out, holding up a glass of beer.

Shawn approached them, and saw the bottles of beer beside Levi.

"You guys are drinking THIS early?!" Shawn asked incredulously.

"It's 10 PM somewhere, man." Levi joked, causing the others to laugh.

"Come on, have a drink with us. You always look so tense." John offered.

"...Sorry. I've got something important to do." Shawn refused, turning away and starting to leave.

"Aww, come on! Don't be like that!" Benjamin said.

"Let him go. More for us, anyway." Kelsey smiled as she took a sip of her glass.

Shawn approached the door of the Robinson house. He knocked roughly and waited. Soon enough, William approached and swung open the door.

"What the hell do you-?" William started to question, before he realized it was Shawn.

"I'm onto you, William." Shawn crossed his arms.

"Oh yeah? What do you got on me?" William scoffed.

"Did you forget that I know what happened with Jenny and Zach? And it's because of that day that I KNOW you're full of shit about what happened at the school." Shawn got closer in William's face.

"What are you going to do, then? You gonna take this place away from me and my wife? You and what army?" William taunted.

"No. Not YET at least. I'll bide my time and strike when the moment is right. Or, maybe you can come clean about what a shitty leader you are and maybe soften the public uproar that would happen if I were to expose you." Shawn smirked.

"You little shit. I wouldn't try it if I were you." William snarled.

"The fuck are you gonna do? Kill me like you did to Jenny and Zach? Like I know damn well you did to Carter? Andrés?" Shawn put his hands in the air.

"You'll regret crossing me. Sooner or later." William glared darkly at him, "Now go back to the wall where you're supposed to be."

"Fuck you." Shawn muttered as William slammed the door.

Without looking back, Shawn stormed back to the wall to take his post back from Annie.

Later that morning, at Redwood, just after the sun had risen, some of the group was outside, digging graves for Elyse and the two students. The graves for the two students had been made and filled back up. James and Jake were busy finishing up the final grave.

Grace, Pidge, Hunk, Shay, Star, Lorenzo, Jade, and Avery were the only ones out by the grave. From afar, Lance was watching. Veronica was by his side. Keith was behind them, leaning against the doors to the school.

Star looked down at Elyse's bloody corpse, and grimaced.

"Gross..." Star muttered.

"Come on. Let's go inside." Shay pulled her away by the hand as they left.

James and Jake stepped out of the finished open grave.

"There we go. Last one done." James panted as he wiped some sweat off of his forehead.

He and Jake knelt beside Elyse's body, carefully pushing and rolling it until it slid down into the grave, landing face up.

"Now the next fun part..." James groaned as he picked up his shovel.

"Here, I can take over." Lorenzo stepped over the grave and offered his hand.

"You sure?" James asked.

"I could use something to do. Nothing like some digging to really get me going." Lorenzo joked.

"Well, thanks. I think I need to sit down." James sighed as he walked away and sat down on one of the old couches outside.

Together, Lorenzo and Jake began filling in the hole.

"Why does she even get a funeral?" Jade asked, annoyed, "Personally, I don't think she deserves one."

"It's a burial. Not a funeral. Everyone deserves to be laid to rest. Just... not everyone deserves to be remembered after they die." Grace replied.

"Fair enough." Jade said.

By the stairs, Veronica looked over at Lance.

"Are you okay?" Veronica lightly brushed over his shoulder.

"I-I don't know. Could I maybe... be alone for a bit?" Lance turned to look at her.

"Of course. Whatever you need. Just let me know if you need anything." Veronica rubbed his arm as she turned and walked away, nodding to Keith as she went inside the school.

Keith looked down at Lance, then walked down the stairs and stopped just beside him.

"The hell do you want?" Lance side eyed him.

"You realize we... aren't rivals anymore, right? Were we rivals at all? I... really don't remember." Keith looked confused.

"Sorry... sorry. I'm just on edge, after..." Lance trailed off.

"Elyse?" Keith prompted.

"Yup." Lance nodded.

"Listen, I know you've got your family and all that, but... if you ever just need someone to talk to or something, I'm a good listener. Much better than a talker." Keith offered after a beat of silence.

"...Thanks. I'll keep that in mind. Mullet." Lance smirked lightly at his name calling.

Keith scoffed, but smiled and rolled his eyes.

"You are never giving that one up, huh?" Keith sighed.

"Not a chance." Lance grinned mischievously.

Lorenzo and Jake flattened the last mounds of dirt on top of Elyse, filling her grave.

"There we go. Job well done, eh?" Lorenzo looked over at Jake, who just huffed and pushed his shovel into the dirt before walking away.

Lorenzo and the others followed suit, but Pidge stopped when she heard the sounds of walkers banging at the gate. Hunk turned back and saw Pidge stop.

"You coming inside, Pidge?" Hunk asked, taking her hand in his.

"Just a sec. I'm gonna clear the front of these guys first. I won't be long." Pidge smiled and stood on her tippy toes to place a kiss on Hunk's cheek, who blushed.

"See you when you're done, then." Hunk gave her a toothy smile, before following the others inside.

Pidge turned and approached the gate, pulling her knife out. One of the walkers was clawing at her through the gate. Pidge raised her knife, but she realized she was too short to reach its head on her own through the fence.

"Yo, James!" Pidge called to James, who was still resting on the couch, "Can you help me out here?"

James stood up and approached Pidge, pulling out his pistol with a silencer attached.

"Sure thing." James aimed the gun and shot the walker at the gate in the head.

"Thanks, dude. I can take it from here." Pidge prepared to open the gate.

"Alright, then. Here, take this just in case." James handed her the gun.

"Thanks." Pidge held the gun in her other hand as James opened the gate for her.

Pidge stepped out onto the dirt road, where about a half dozen walkers were roaming around. She raised her knife and stabbed a walker in the side, shoving it to the ground, before she stabbed it in the head. Pidge stood up straight and spun around, kicking a second walker down and repeating the process of stabbing it in the head.

Another walker grabbed at her shoulder from behind. Pidge cursed loudly and pushed it off of her. She turned to aim the gun upwards, and fired a bullet into its head up through its chin. Pidge turned and shot one more walker in the head without hesitation. Two more came toward her. Pidge just smirked, and charged at both of them. She slammed into the one in front, hard. Both walkers tumbled to the ground. Pidge steadied herself, then stabbed the walker on top in the head. The one below it struggled and growled at her, agitated. Pidge grimaced at it, before she brought her knife down into its eye socket.

Pidge wiped away sweat from her brow, looking at the bodies. Suddenly, another growl from behind her made her spin around and backpedal. One last walker came stumbling out of the trees. Pidge aimed her gun, but stopped for a second. It was Carter. The blood had dried around his neck by now. Pidge just gave an apologetic look and steadied her grip on the gun.

"You didn't deserve that. You were... trying to help. Maybe some of your people are good..." Pidge murmured.

Just as the undead Carter drew closer, Pidge took a breath and fired, the shot hitting Carter in the head and sending his reanimated body to the ground. Pidge holstered the weapon slowly.

"Sorry, dude." Pidge apologized one last time as she walked over to the gate.

As Pidge walked back inside the gate of Redwood, she looked around at the empty courtyard, before she turned and closed the heavy gate. Unknown to her, Jonas was watching her from the entrance to the school. Pidge slammed the gate closed and locked it. Jonas ran his fingers along the gun tucked in his waistband. He moved his hand away, shaking his head as he turned and walked back inside the school. As he left Pidge, a smirk crept up onto his face as a plan began to form in his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: becomes obsessed with heathers the musical  
> brain: ok how can we work this into the story
> 
> song that pidge and hunk sang is Seventeen from Heathers
> 
> also
> 
> I CAN FINALLY TAG THIS AS PIDGE/HUNK I HAVE BEEN DREAMING OF THIS DAY!!!!


	6. Humo y Espejos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge and Hunk go on a run. Windy re-evaluates their identity. Lance celebrates his birthday for someone not yet forgotten, as danger looms from beyond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the weird huge spaces between each line in previous chapters are going to Disappear from now on because i'm writing on a computer now instead <3

Jonas stormed through the hallway, muttering to himself. His eyes darted back and forth every time he passed a room, in case anyone saw him.

Jonas entered the cafeteria and made a beeline for the kitchen at the back of the room. No one else was in there. Jonas stole one last glance back at the doorway, before he slipped into the kitchen. He rummaged around until he came across what he was looking for. A large frying pan.

Jonas smirked as he grabbed a wooden spoon from a rack up high and tucked it into his pocket. With his items acquired, he stood up straight and walked out, still making sure no one was watching.

Coming around a corner, Jonas suddenly planted himself flat against the wall to avoid being seen by Rizavi and James, who were walking the other direction, talking and laughing with each other. Once they were gone, Jonas breezed farther down the hall, toward the back of the school.

He flung open the back door and stormed down the steps over to the cut in the fence. With one last paranoid peek over his shoulder, Jonas slipped himself through the slim gap. As he made it outside, a walker approached from behind. Jonas saw it and rolled his eyes. He briefly dropped his items and pulled out his knife. He grabbed the walker by the shirt and stabbed it in the eye.

"Dumbass." Jonas spat on the corpse, before he picked up the pan and the wooden spoon again, and walked away into the trees.

"Are you two SURE you want to go alone?" Shiro asked Pidge and Hunk as he walked with them to the gate.

"Of course we're sure. Nothin' stops Team Punk." Pidge nodded with a confident smirk.

"That's right." Hunk laughed alongside her. Pidge then got up on her tippy toes and quickly pecked a kiss to Hunk's cheek.

"When did... that happen?" Shiro questioned with a smile.

"Last night." Pidge answered, "Hunk's just... a swell guy."

"SWELL?" Matt chuckled as he, Colleen, and Marcus approached behind Shiro, "I don't think I've ever heard you use that word."

"Shut up, Matt! I love him!" Pidge grabbed Hunk by the arm and glared at her brother.

Marcus walked over to Hunk and pulled him in for a hug.

"Be safe out there." Marcus sighed, "I wish you weren't going at all."

"Someone's gotta. Don't worry, Pidge and I will be fine." Hunk reassured.

"You be safe out there, too, young lady." Colleen said as she hugged Pidge as well.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, Mom!" Pidge rolled her eyes with a smile as she tried to squirm out of the hug.

Colleen let go, then knelt down in front of Pidge.

"And if you come across someone out there, who tries to hurt you." Colleen added in a lower voice, "You do whatever you have to."

"Okay..." Pidge nodded, slightly unnerved.

"Are you sure you don't want someone who can drive to go with you? I'd be happy to." Shiro offered.

"Trust us, Shiro. We'll be okay." Hunk put a hand on the slightly taller man's shoulder.

"...Alright. Try to be back before the sun goes down, though. We shouldn't have people out after dark." Shiro warned.

"Will do." Pidge confirmed, then she looked up at the watch tower next to the gate, "Yo, Jake! Are we clear to go?"

Jake scanned the path outside, seeing no walkers. He looked down at the others.

"You're good!" Jake gave a thumbs up.

Shiro opened the gate, and Pidge and Hunk stepped out and began walking down the road away from the school.

"Good luck!" Jake shouted to them.

"We won't need it." Pidge smiled as she looked over at Hunk.

Shiro closed the gate again, leaving the others. Colleen looked back up at Jake.

"Hey, Jake! Mind if I take over your shift until they get back?" Colleen asked.

"Uh, sure, Mrs. Holt. If you wanna." Jake shrugged.

Colleen climbed up the ladder, where Jake handed her the rifle he was using.

"Thanks." Colleen nodded to him.

"You doing this because you're worried for them?" Jake raised an eyebrow.

"No. I'm not worried for them, I'm just... worried." Colleen huffed.

"How worried?" Jake questioned.

"Only slightly." Colleen muttered, just loud enough for Jake to hear.

He silently descended the ladder, meeting Matt at the bottom.

"What'd she say?" Matt asked.

"She said she's worried." Jake repeated.

"How badly worried?" Matt continues.

"She said only slightly." Jake scratched his head.

"Then yeah, she's definitely worried." Matt nodded.

On the other side of the courtyard, James and Adam were supervising a session of weapons training. Nancy, Windy, Silvio, Nadia, Star, and Lukas were standing in a row, all armed with pistols.

"You guys are all getting better, but I think we should test your aim just a bit more." James spoke, "Silvio, Nadia, I know you two are rather young, but... as an instructor, I'm very proud of your guys' progress."

"Thanks, Mr. Griffin!" Silvio giggled happily.

"Alright, when I call your name individually, I want you to aim and shoot that tree." James pointed to the tree that stood roughly thirty yards away.

James walked behind the line of the trainees, over behind Nancy.

"Nancy, fire." James said.

Nancy took a deep breath, and fired. Her shot hit the tree. James smiled.

"Good job, you've improved a lot." James complimented, "Silvio, Nadia, your turns."

Silvio fired first. His bullet successfully hit the tree, while Nadia, who fired just a second after, had her shot hit the wall just beside the tree.

"Not bad... you were close. Want to try one more time?" James offered.

"Okay." Nadia nodded. She steadied the heavy weapon and fired again. This time, her shot hit the tree slightly off center.

"Nice one!" James cheered, patting Nadia on the shoulder. Nadia grinned, satisfied with herself.

Next to her, Windy was fiddling with her gun as she tried to hold onto it as best she could with only one arm. She quietly swore as she nearly dropped it.

"Okay, Windy, you're up. I'll, uh, give you a couple tries if you like." James said awkwardly.

"Yeah, sure." Windy huffed as she held the gun. As she aimed for the tree, the weapon wobbled.

Windy fired. Her first shot missed entirely and hit the wall around ten feet to the right. She shook her head and readied for a second try. She shot again, this time the bullet just grazed the tree.

"Come on..." Windy groaned to herself. She raised the gun a third time and fired. The bullet hit the wall to the left of the tree.

"OH, FOR THE LOVE OF--! Goddammit..." Windy clenched her hand and scowled.

"Hey, it's fine, Windy." James assured calmly, "For only having one arm, those shots weren't too far off."

"Yeah, but they were still OFF!" Windy shouted. From behind her, Ryan placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Don't be upset, babe. With some practice, you won't even realize you're missing an arm." Ryan attempted to soothe, however Windy shrugged his hand away.

"Oh, right! I'll just FORGET that I'm missing one of my vital limbs." Windy exclaimed sarcastically, "I'm never going to NOT notice this, Ryan! It's my fault to begin with. I wasn't paying attention and got bit. Now, I can't even do something as simple as defending myself!"

"That's what we're here for!" Ryan insisted.

"What about when you all get tired of dragging me behind you? Tired of having to go out of your ways to make sure I don't die?" Windy put her hand on her hip.

"Windy... we're not gonna--" Ryan tried to say, but was cut off.

"I'm a liability! There's no denying it!" Windy threw her hand in the air, and looked around at everyone else, "I don't even know why I'm trying..."

"Windy, WAIT!" Ryan called out as Windy dropped the gun in the grass and stormed off, "WINDY!"

Ryan ran off after her. After they've both left, Bryan and Lorenzo walked outside.

"Hey... is there room for me to join this lesson?" Bryan asked, hopeful.

"Sure. A spot just opened up, actually..." James explained, a bit sheepish.

"Awesome, thank you." Bryan took Windy's place. As they got in position, they noticed Windy's discarded gun on the ground and picked it up.

"There should be some ammo still inside. It wasn't used much." James added.

"Cool." Bryan nodded with a small smile. Lorenzo placed a hand on their shoulder.

"Good luck, and make some friends. I'll be over there." Lorenzo gave them a kiss and walked away.

"Alright, now, we're going to work on posture..." James' next instructions trailed off as Lorenzo walked over to where Matt was talking with Grace, Veronica, and Allura.

"Hey, guys." Lorenzo waved.

"Oh, hey dude." Matt nodded, "What's up?"

"Just convincing Bryan to come to the gun training." Lorenzo gestured to them as they shoot their gun, "They're still pretty scared of them."

"I can't entirely blame them. Imagine seeing a person you love get shot and you can't do anything to help them..." Allura trailed off, before she snapped back to reality, "Hypothetically speaking, that is. I'm pretty sure seeing something like that would make anyone a little wary around a gun."

"True. Their dad is... pretty violent. No doubt you've gotten to witness that firsthand." Lorenzo remarked bitterly.

"Oh, we definitely have. Asshole's shot at the school a few times." Grace crossed her arms, "How can I help keep my people safe when he's lurking around with some chip on his shoulder?"

"We're going to deal with him, trust me." Veronica assured Grace, "If he so much as touches anyone in my family then I'll kill him myself."

"Glad we all agree." Lorenzo chuckled.

More shots came from the training area. Bryan let out a cheer. Matt's gaze switched from them to James. Lorenzo watched as well.

"I've meant to ask. Is James like... a licensed instructor? I mean, I don't care if he isn't or anything, but he's what... 18? Same age as me, and yet he knows almost everything there is to know about weapons?" Lorenzo asked, confused.

"That's Galaxy Garrison training for you. James, Nadia Rizavi, Ryan, Windy... sort of. They are all extremely intelligent. They were trained to fly FIGHTER JETS." Matt revealed.

"Seriously?! At what.. age 16?!" Lorenzo exclaimed.

"Well... yeah. The Garrison had this thing called the MFE program. Damned if I know what the acronym means anymore. I know a lot of things, but... sadly this one escapes me." Matt shrugged, "Basically, they'd recruit several young kids from high school and turn them into experienced young cadets who could eventually graduate into SPACE TRAVEL once they're old enough."

"At the time there were only five of them enrolled in the program. Needless to say all of them possessed extreme talent. I was beyond impressed when I first got to know them when I showed up at the Garrison after... all this." Veronica said.

"Wait, five?" Grace interjected, looking puzzled, "But there's only four of them."

"Yeah... we lost one of them, back when Pidge and the group first got to the Garrison. Her name was Ina. She's the one who surgically attached Shiro's metal arm, and she was only 18." Veronica explained.

"How DID Shiro lose that arm?" Grace asked.

"Cannibals." Allura looked over at her.

"Yikes..." Grace hissed through her teeth.

"What happened to Ina?" Lorenzo continued.

"The fucking bitch of an admiral that was leading things around there. She lost her mind over time. She thought she could create a cure, and she'd get all the glory of saving the world. After a while, she started... killing people in our group, one by one, in secret to use as fucked up test subjects. Ina was one of them..." Veronica revealed, her fists clenched as she recounted the details.

"Not only that, but she and her right hand man kept me and my... dad, locked up in the basement for six months. My dad was her unwilling lab "assistant", and I was her leverage." Matt recounted, "Sometimes I still have nightmares about those nights."

"You're not there anymore, Matt. Pidge found you. We found you." Allura rubbed his arm reassuringly.

Just then, Lance exited the school, walking past them. His face was fallen and he didn't wave to them. Matt, however, did.

"Hey, Lance! Wanna hang out with us?" Matt called out, only to get no reply. Lance slumped around the side of the school and out of sight.

"What's wrong with him?" Allura wondered, "Do you think he's still upset about what happened with Elyse?"

"I don't think so. He was doing better when he went to sleep last night, but now..." Veronica turned in the direction Lance had gone, "Wait... does anyone know what today's date is?"

"Oh, I do! I've been keeping track of days for a while!" Matt smiled, "Today would be... July 28th, according to my work."

Veronica's face fell, and she looked down at the ground.

"Oh... shit..." Veronica murmured.

"What? What's wrong about today?" Allura looked at her, "What has Lance so upset?"

"I-I can't talk right now. I have to go check on him." Veronica suddenly turned and dashed off after Lance.

"Vero, WAIT!" Matt shouted, but she didn't turn around.

"Well, now I'm just more confused." Grace spoke after a beat of silence.

Matt looked between everyone else, then up at the school.

"I'll be right back..." Matt started to walk away as well.

"Wh-? Where are YOU going?" Allura interrogated.

"My curiosity is killing me!" Matt called back as he left the others.

Tara walked into a bedroom, where Spencer was already standing inside of. She shut the door behind her and turned to face him.

"What do you want?" Spencer eyed her.

"Have you seen Jonas at all recently?" Tara questioned.

"Uhh... I don't know? What am I, his babysitter?" Spencer rolled his eyes.

"Pretty much." Tara scoffed, "He's so reckless we can barely trust him on his own."

"If you don't trust him then why the hell did you even agree to be a part of our inner circle?" Spencer glared.

"Because... I was being stupid. It was a heat of the moment decision, and looking back... I trust everyone here. Jonas is the one who shouldn't be trusted. Boy's basically a time bomb. Plus, I'm worried he's off doing something that he won't be able to come back from..." Tara said.

"Jesus fuck, RELAX, Tar. Jonas is a perfectly capable dude. I trust him with my life. At least he isn't willing to let all of us die at the hands of all of these new people." Spencer retorted.

Tara laughed in his face dryly and turned back toward the door.

"Whatever. You're being just as irrational as he is. Fuck you." Tara shook her head as she opened and shut the door to the room, storming out.

Spencer just watched her leave in silence. He crossed his arms over his chest and let out a huff of air.

Windy sat on her bed. Using her remaining hand, she felt along her stump. She could almost feel her missing fingers clenching into a fist.

Just then, the door to the room opened, with Shiro poking his head in.

"Do you mind if I... come in?" Shiro asked.

"Sure... sure." Windy nodded, looking away.

Shiro stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. He took a seat on the bed next to Windy and turned to her.

"Where's Ryan? Didn't he come after you?" Shiro looked around the room.

"I made him leave. I wanted to be alone for a bit... you can stay, though." Windy told him.

"I see you're upset about your arm... or, lack of arm, technically." Shiro pointed out.

"I just... feel like I'm useless. What can someone do to contribute with ONE ARM?" Windy threw her hands into the air.

"I'm actually sorry to say this, but... even I wouldn't know." Shiro chuckled a bit.

"But you--" Windy pointed at Shiro's prosthetic.

"I only was without an arm for a day. Fucking cannibals, right?" Shiro sighed.

"I see." Windy remarked coldly.

"But, I will tell you, the whole time I was without it, before we arrived at the Garrison? I was scared. Not just because I was being used as leverage against my group, with a gun to my head, but because I didn't know how the others would respond now that I was maimed and practically useless at the time. I knew Adam and Keith would've stuck with me for sure, but that seed of self doubt about everyone else kept creeping back into my head." Shiro vented.

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Windy nodded along.

"What, you think all of us are just going to toss you out because of a freak accident?" Shiro raised an eyebrow.

"More like me being stupid." Windy rolled her eyes, "Besides, I don't even know if everyone here even likes me. I rarely talk to anyone anymore."

"I know James likes you. He was awfully worried about you when you ran off. Rizavi? Your old friend Bryan? Your own boyfriend?" Shiro listed, "All those people are people you know care about you. I know branching out can be hard. It'll almost feel like being back in high school trying to make new friends. But we're all one group. So no matter if we don't talk to each other that often, everyone within is still like a family."

Windy thought about her fellow MFE friends, Bryan, Pidge, Shiro, Lance... everyone. At last, a small smile crept its way onto her face. 

"And also," Shiro continued, "I know I wasn't a one-armed person for as long as you've been, I was actually very lucky that Sam Holt was the genius that he was. But, as I've learned, me practicing with this new arm and you practicing with no arm? We aren't too different. If you just keep at it, and stay strong, Windy, I know that eventually, you'll be just as good with one arm as you were with two. If not even better."

Windy thought over Shiro's words in silence for a minute, before she turned to him again.

"Thank you, Shiro. You actually helped... a lot. I know what I gotta do now." Windy stood up from the bed.

"Anything to help. We're in this together, after all, aren't we?" Shiro stood up as well.

"Exactly." Windy agreed, "You know, you always were one of my biggest heroes. I don't think I've ever gotten to tell you that it's been an honor to get to know you."

"Well.. thank you. That certainly means a lot." Shiro nearly blushed.

Windy nodded to him, then left the room as she tucked something into her belt. Shiro waited a moment, then left the room as well.

Matt walked briskly down the halls of the school, looking for Lance. Up ahead, he saw Luis coming in his direction. Matt internally sighed. Perhaps he could help.

"Luis! Luis, hey!" Matt waved at him, "Can I talk to you?"

"Oh, hi Matt!" Luis smiled, "Sure, what do you need?"

"Well... a little earlier, I saw Lance, and he looked super upset. Veronica seemed to know something, but she ran off before she said what was wrong with him. I'm just... worried. As his friend, you know?" Matt explained.

"You say Lance was looking sad?" Luis repeated.

Matt nodded in response.

"Do you happen to know today's date?" Luis continued.

"Veronica asked this, too. Today is, most likely, July 28th. What is important about the date, though?" Matt looked even more confused.

Luis's face became one of understanding, and he looked to the floor.

"Ah... I see now." Luis nodded solemnly.

"You do? Wh-What's up with Lance?" Matt pressed, a bit reeled in this time.

"He's... grieving." Luis answered.

"Grieving who? We haven't lost anyone recently... well there's Elyse, but... she was never good to him." Matt shook his head.

"I think it would be best if he were to tell you himself. He may need a friend today." Luis replied simply.

"...Okay. Thank you, Luis. I'll try and find him." Matt nodded as he walked away. Luis continued walking as well.

Matt peeked around every corner, and into some rooms.

"Come on, Lance... where are you?" Matt huffed.

He rounded a corner, and saw Romelle and Marco talking. Romelle noticed Matt first.

"Hey, Matt!" Romelle then also noticed his determined expression, "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong. I just... can I speak to Marco for a minute, please?" Matt requested.

"Of course." Romelle nodded.

"About what?" Marco asked.

"About Lance." Matt sighed.

"I'll leave you two to talk." Romelle walked around Matt and started to head off.

"Thanks, Romelle. I didn't mean to barge in like this." Matt apologized.

"Oh, it's fine! If you want to talk again later, Marco, I'll be out in the courtyard." Romelle called to Marco, before she left.

Marco then turned his attention to Matt.

"Is something wrong with Lance?" Marco looked worried.

"Well... sort of. I just noticed that he was really upset when he walked by me earlier. Veronica went to go talk to him, but she seemed to know why he was upset already. Luis did too. I just finished asking him about it." Matt explained, "And before you ask, because Vero and Luis both did, today is July 28th."

"July 28th... oh, yes. Oh, dear..." Marco turned away for a second.

"You know too! What is so bad about today?" Matt exclaimed.

"I don't know if I should be the one..." Marco said, conflicted.

"Marco, PLEASE... I'm worried for my friend. If there's... ANYTHING that I could do to help..." Matt begged, "Luis said he was grieving someone. Who is he talking about?"

Marco didn't reply for the longest time, until he took a deep breath, and looked up.

"Before we got to the Galaxy Garrison... our family was bigger. We lost a few of us ever since the world ended. Our grandparents... Luis' wife, Lisa. She was killed by the same group that took Shiro's arm and beat Lance to hell." Marco scowled.

"I'm sorry..." Matt murmured.

"Then there was our father... he died in the Garrison." Marco continued.

"I remember him. He was part of the team that rescued me and my dad. He was a good man, from what I saw of him. Lance fought for him as long as he could, but... there were so many walkers..." Matt found himself blinking away a tear, "I wish I could've known him longer."

"And then, there's Rachel..." Marco sighed.

"Who was she to him?" Matt asked.

"...Our sister. Lance's twin sister. She died the same night that Shiro, Adam, and Keith joined us. Walkers... flooded our campsite. She fought them off, but she was bitten... seeing her turn, it just... broke Lance. He's healed greatly from that night, but I know he still misses her. We all do." Marco slowly explained.

"Oh... my god. I see now. God... I'm so, so sorry for your losses. I just have one more question." Matt spoke up again, "What does today's date have to do with all of this?"

"Ah, yes..." Marco began, "Today is Lance's birthday."

Matt does a double take in surprise.

"For real?" Matt looked stunned.

Marco simply nodded.

"That means... it's her birthday, too. Oh, god... Lance..." Matt put a hand over his mouth as everything came together.

"None of us were too sure about the date, but..." Marco said, trailing off.

"I feel so bad... I really gotta find him. I wanna make sure he's okay." Matt looked past Marco down the hall.

"I'll help you. Comfort from family and friends alike is what he needs." Marco joined in.

"Awesome, thank you, man." Matt smiled, "You look that way, I'll keep going this way."

With a nod of agreement, Matt and Marco split up.

Pidge and Hunk were walking down the middle of a street in a downtown area.

"My legs are so tired...!" Hunk whined.

"So are mine, but you don't see me complaining, do ya?" Pidge gave him a sly smirk.

"Hmmph. Showoff." Hunk pouted.

The two of them approached a row of buildings, most of them businesses and restaurants. Hunk suddenly stopped and grabbed Pidge by the arm.

"Wait, look!" Hunk pointed.

"Ow! You better have a damn good reason for yanking me like that." Pidge groaned, rubbing her arm.

"Yes, I do. Look!" Hunk repeated.

Pidge followed his finger, to where a small local hardware store rests right in front of them.

"Well then... sorry for getting pissy." Pidge pats Hunk's shoulder.

"It's okay, Pidgey. It's part of who you are. It's why I love you." Hunk smiled.

Pidge looked away as her cheeks flushed.

"L-Let's get inside and get that wire to fix the fence. I feel so exposed being out here this long." Pidge hurried up to the door.

Hunk pulled on the door, only for it not to budge. Locked.

"Crap." Hunk stated.

"Here, stand back." Pidge pulled out a silenced pistol and aimed it at the glass door. She pulled the trigger and let the glass door shatter to nothing, the remains littering the floor.

"Bingo." Pidge holstered the gun triumphantly.

"Good job." Hunk cheered her on, "Watch your step, though."

Pidge and Hunk carefully stepped over the glass shards and into the hardware store. The lights were out, the only light inside being from the sunlight outside coming in through the doorway and windows.

"Let's sweep for walkers, grab what we need, and skedaddle." Pidge whispered.

"You're the boss." Hunk whisper replied.

"Damn right." Pidge joked.

Hunk pulled out his knife, while Pidge took out her silenced pistol again. At the same time, they both knocked their weapons against the wall. Soon enough, numerous growls could be heard.

"Here comes the undead parade." Pidge raised her gun.

Two walkers stumbled into Pidge's view, coming down the aisle she was at the end of. Pidge fired and sent the first one down with a bullet to the head. She approached the second one, shooting it up through its chin. A walker appeared to Hunk's right. He acted fast and pinned it against the wall, before he stabbed it in the forehead. Pidge crept down the aisle she was in. Right as she reached the end, a walker from around the corner grabbed her wrist.

"Fuck you!" Pidge growled as she slammed her gun into the side of its head. The walker fell to the ground, where Pidge stomped its head in, blood coating her shoe.

Hunk ran up his aisle, where he saw Pidge at the other end, stepping away from the walker corpse. Objects being knocked off of a shelf ahead of him alerted him to one more walker coming his way. Hunk wasted no time as he grabbed the walker and threw it down to the ground. Once it was down, he stabbed it in the back of the head.

"I think we're clear." Pidge called out to Hunk in a normal level voice.

"Wait, I hear one more walker." Hunk held his hand up, "I think it's stuck, though, I hear rustling."

"We shouldn't ignore it. You go find it, I'll start looking for the wire." Pidge decided.

"Gotcha." Hunk turned and headed deeper into the store.

Pidge then turned and began to scan the aisles for what they were looking for. Down at the other end of the store, Hunk heard the moaning and snarling getting louder. At last, he came out of an aisle to find a walker, trapped beneath a fallen shelf. It saw him, and began clawing at his legs. Hunk bent down and drove the knife into the top of its skull.

"Okay, NOW we're totally clear!" Hunk called to Pidge.

"Sweet." Pidge grinned as she approached him, "I checked that side of the store, couldn't find any wire. Guess that just leaves over here."

Pidge and Hunk split up and began checking the aisles further down. Hunk spotted a crowbar hanging on cork-board wall. He grabbed it and slipped it into his large bag on his shoulders.

"I swear, if it's not here..." Pidge grumbled.

"We'll find it. I know we will." Hunk assured her.

The two searched in silence for a while longer. That is, until Pidge looked up from where she stood and walked around her aisle to look at Hunk.

"You... said you loved me." Pidge started.

Hunk turned around, seeing her unsure expression.

"Was that too straightforward?" Hunk looked down apologetically.

"No! No, uhh... it just made me think. I don't think anyone has said that to me, aside from my family." Pidge shrugged, "You... meant it, right?"

"What? Pidge, of COURSE I did! I've felt this way for a long time, and I just never knew when the right time was to tell you." Hunk got down in front of Pidge and held her arms.

"Really? Well now I feel dumb..." Pidge awkwardly chuckled.

"You're not dumb. If anything I'm the dumb one. I still feel like I came on too strong last night." Hunk sighed.

"You're right, you are dumb, because I really enjoyed singing with you, even if it had been forever since I did." Pidge replied.

"Let's just chalk it up to that we're both overthinking this, yeah?" Hunk laughed.

"Sounds accurate." Pidge agreed, "But I do have one more question."

"Shoot." Hunk awaited her reply.

"...Can I kiss you?" Pidge looked directly into Hunk's eyes.

"...Of course." Hunk then closed his eyes. Pidge leaned in after less than a second of hesitation. She pressed a kiss to his lips for five seconds, before she pulled away.

"Was it good?" Pidge couldn't help but smile.

"Is it too early in the game to tell you that you're an amazing kisser?" Hunk quirked a brow.

"No, I don't think so." Pidge teased. Both of them laughed it off, and Pidge's eyes traveled past Hunk, where something caught her eye, "Oh, shit! Jackpot!"

Pidge broke away and raced over to the shelf behind Hunk. On the bottom was a big coil of orange wire.

"Thank fuck!" Pidge breathed as she picked it up.

"Here, stick it in my bag and let's GO. I need to give my feet a break." Hunk groaned.

"Keep complaining and I'm making you carry me home, too." Pidge lightly swatted his arm.

The two of them walked out of the hardware store, looking both ways down the street to check for walkers. Seeing none, they began to make their way back toward Redwood. As they walked, a man popped out from behind the row of buildings. He watched the two for a while longer, before he pulled out a radio.

"Asha, I've got visual on them. You copy?" The man spoke.

"I copy," A female voice, Asha, responded, "Don't just stand there, follow them. Boss needs a new haul and he'll be pissed if he finds out you let two contenders get away."

"Yeah, yeah, don't remind me." The man said, annoyed, "I'm letting them put some distance between us so they won't see me. I know what I'm doing."

"I'm sure you do." Asha commented sarcastically. The man could hear the smile in her voice.

"Fuck off!" The man shouted, "Ugh, whatever, I'm going after them now. Over and out."

"Over and out." Asha repeated, followed by the man turning off his radio.

Lance was sitting on his bed. His legs were pulled up to his chest and he had his head buried in his knees. Tears streamed down his face as memories of Rachel flashed through his mind.

_"It's my turn to blow out the candles!" Rachel, age ten, shouted._

_"No! You pushed me down outside, so it should be ME!" Lance pouted._

_"Do you two SERIOUSLY have to fight with each other all the time??" Veronica, aged 17, let out a long, dramatic groan._

_"Well, tell Rachel to stop being such a... a butt!" Lance crossed his arms._

_"HEY!" Rachel screamed, swatting Lance in the shoulder._

_"OW! Mooooom!" Lance cried._

_"Quit fighting, you two! Or I'll just let everyone else blow out the candles!" Nancy remarked as she came out of their kitchen holding the birthday cake, being trailed by a younger Marco, Miguel, and Luis._

_"You guys can be really annoying sometimes." Marco, who was a young teenager, rolled his eyes._

_"Don't say that, Marco, they're still your siblings." Miguel scolded._

_"Sorry..." Marco huffed._

_"Did I miss the singing?" Lisa appeared from the living room, holding a baby Silvio in her arms, "Just woke this little troublemaker up from his nap."_

_"Nope, right on time." Nancy smiled as she set the cake down in front of Lance and Rachel._

_"Only two candles?" Rachel wrinkled her nose._

_"But Mamá! We're turning ten! Not two!" Lance protested._

_"Awww, baby Lance!" Veronica taunted._

_Lance stuck his tongue out at his sister._

_"You each get one candle to blow out this year. I'll have no more fighting between you two on your birthday." Nancy said firmly._

_"Sorry, Mam_ _á..." Rachel looked at her feet, ashamed._

_"Alright, are we ready to sing?" Miguel looked around the remaining family members._

_"I think so." Luis nodded, standing beside Lisa._

_"Okay, after me," Nancy began, "Uno... dos... tres..."_

_"Feliz cumpleaños a ti, f_ _eliz cumpleaños a ti, f_ _eliz cumpleaños a Lance y Raquel, f_ _eliz cumpleaños a ti!" The entire McClain family sang._

_Once they finished, Lance and Rachel looked at each other, then each blew out their respective candles. The family cheered as Miguel leaned in to begin cutting the cake._

_"Once Lance and Rachel get theirs I call first slice!" Veronica raised her hand in the air._

_As pieces of cake were handed out, Lance looked at his twin._

_"I'm sorry I called you a butt." Lance apologized._

_"I'm sorry I hit you and pushed you down." Rachel echoed._

_"Let's promise not to fight anymore. That way next year we'll have more candles to blow out!" Lance proposed._

_"Good idea!" Rachel agreed, already becoming excited._

_The two youngest siblings wrapped their arms around each other. Lisa took notice of this, and pulled out her phone after handing Silvio over to Luis._

_"Smile for the camera!" Lisa held up her phone._

_Lance and Rachel grinned widely as she snapped the picture._

_"This one's definitely a keeper." Lisa smiled as she looked at it._

Lance is brought out of his memory by a knock on the door. Veronica stood there, looking in his direction.

"Want some company?" Veronica asked.

Lance nodded wordlessly, and scooted over. Veronica came in, and sat down beside her brother. Once she did, Lance leaned against her, still crying.

"This is one hell of an 18th birthday, huh?" Veronica sighed, trying not to cry herself.

"I miss her so much, Veronica... she should be here with me..." Lance blubbered.

"I miss her, too, Lance. I never got to see her after the walkers started showing up. I just wish I could've told her I loved her one more time."

"You didn't have to. She always knew. The whole family did. She was great like that." Lance chuckled.

"I don't know what I'd do without Hunk. He's been there for me since before all this. He was there when we had to take care of Rachel." Lance recalled.

"Hunk's one of the most pure hearted people I know. I'm glad he's here, too." Veronica nodded.

"I wish he and Pidge were here, I wish I could talk to them." Lance moped.

"Hey... Matt caught me in the hall on my way in here. He says to come to the cafeteria when you're up for it. I guess he's got something for you." Veronica suddenly revealed.

"Really? That sounds nice..." Lance smiled, "But... can we just stay here, for a little bit?"

"Of course." Veronica agreed.

And they did.

Inside the walls of Plaht City, Sam stood with her arms crossed over her chest. She was watching Victor, Miles, and Mitchell shared drinks. They looked like they were getting tipsy.

"Fuckin' assholes." Sam scowled as she muttered.

Her attention shifted as Shawn briskly walked up beside her.

"Somethin' wrong?" Sam raised an eyebrow at his pace.

"Uh... yeah." Shawn nodded, "I've been listening in on William talking to some of his men today. They... They're planning something, related to that other group. I didn't stick around too long to hear what, didn't want to get caught. But I know it's bad."

"Fuck..." Sam murmured, "Is there anything we can do?"

"I might have an idea. Not sure about how concrete it is, but something's better than nothing." Shawn answered. He was about to continue, when he saw Deborah down the street, out of the corner of his eye, watching them, "Can't tell you now. Too risky."

Sam discreetly looked in Deborah's direction, and gave Shawn a look that showed she understood.

"When should we meet?" Sam asked.

"Oh, Shawn! There you are!" Audrey suddenly walked up to both of them.

"Audrey? What--" Sam looked at her, confused.

"Here's that box of ammo you needed. Let me know if you need anything else." Audrey forced a smile as she handed him the box and winked. Shawn took the box of bullets and nodded.

"Thank you." Shawn fake thanked her, then lowered to a whisper, "Let's meet out behind my house in a few hours. I'll tell you my plan then."

"Sounds good. Let's split up before Mrs. Robinson here decides to act." Sam said.

Shawn waved to the girls, before he turned and walked away. As he did, he passed Deborah.

"Problem, Mrs. Robinson?" Shawn remarked with a glare.

"No. I'm just people watching since William's busy." Deborah claimed, "Didn't know it was a damn crime."

"Come on, let's find Max and Jace." Audrey waved Sam along.

Deborah watched Shawn and the girls walk in their opposite directions. Then, she walked up back into her house.

Shiro leaned against the wall surrounding Redwood. Keith, James, and Adam walked up to greet him.

"Hey, guys. Hey, hon." Shiro greeted, kissing Adam on the cheek, "How did the rest of training go today?"

"Very well, actually. Star and Nadia are showing great improvements." Adam nodded.

"And Bryan isn't as bad as they give themself credit for. They just have a bit of a confidence issue." James added.

"Kid has potential." Adam agreed.

"Just wish Windy had stuck around. I feel bad for them." James sighed.

"What was her problem, anyway?" Keith tilted his head, "I heard she stormed off during training."

"It's not their fault. Windy's just... going through a bit of a crisis." James explained.

"You make it sound like she's having a MID-LIFE crisis." Keith rolled his eyes.

"Shut up! Windy's been super upset about losing their arm for a bit. I think it's finally starting to take a toll on them." James pointed out.

Keith's apathetic attitude faltered, and he looked down.

"Shit..." Keith mumbled.

"Keith, dude, it's not your fault." Adam placed a hand on his back.

"Sure, you took their arm, but she was bitten. You saved their LIFE." James reminded him.

"Yeah, you're right, but... seeing someone suffer because of something you did to them, even if it was necessary to save their life? ...It kinda hurts." Keith admitted.

"I understand where you're coming from, Keith. Come here." Shiro embraced Keith.

"Maybe I should find Windy and talk to her. Part of me just wants closure that she doesn't... despise me." Keith shuddered.

"I haven't seen them since they stormed off." James shrugged.

"I talked to her a little bit after that. She seemed to be doing better by the time we finished. She told me she "knew what she had to do now" and then left." Shiro recalled, "Not sure what she meant."

"Well, I haven't seen her around at all since then, either." Adam shook his head.

"They've gotta be in the school somewhere." James scratched his chin.

Ryan, Allura, and Romelle walked past.

"Hey, guys!" Adam reached out and stopped them, "Any of you seen Windy recently?"

"No, actually." Romelle shook her head, too, "Allura and I were just helping Ryan look for them, actually."

"We haven't found them." Allura agreed.

"I'm getting a little worried." Ryan looked around, biting one of his fingernails.

"Okay, so do you think she just... left?" Adam scoffed, "Someone would've seen her go through the gate."

"Not if they didn't use the gate." Romelle suddenly retorted.

Romelle turned and pointed to the side of the school, where the chain link fence stood where the group had first entered. The others followed Romelle as she walked over to it.

"It's been opened." Romelle saw as she approached the fence.

"What, so Windy's out there, on their own?" Allura looked at Ryan nervously.

"Why would she do that?" Keith turned to James.

"Well... I did tell her she has to practice in order to get used to fighting with only one arm." Shiro rubs the back of his neck.

"You what?!" Allura turned back to look at Shiro in shock.

"I didn't know she'd do THIS!!!" Shiro quickly defended himself, "I meant just keep going to gun training! Not go outside on your own!"

"Well, we should go after her!" Ryan insisted.

"Relax, man. You guys stay here. James, get your gun, you and I'll do this." Keith nodded.

"Already with me. You think I'd leave this bad boy alone?" James smirked.

"Alright, we'll be back in a bit. Keep a lookout for us, we'll come back around the main gate." Keith told Shiro.

"Got it. Be safe." Shiro gave his brother one more hug.

"And be careful." Romelle added.

Keith and James slipped through the fence, after the wire was looped out. Once they were through, Adam secured the hole once more.

Windy held a knife in their hand. They were approaching a pack of walkers, kneeling down eating a corpse. When they got close enough, they whistled.

"Hey! HEY!" Windy shouted as the first few walkers turned their heads, "Come and get it!"

The first walkers stood up, now interested in the living person in front of them. Windy sprang at them. They drove the knife up into the chin of the first walker. They ripped it out and stepped out of the way as another walker tripped over their foot. When it was down, they stabbed it in the head. Windy stood up straight again and slammed the knife into the temple of the next walker. They let go of the knife and let the body fall to the ground, as they kicked another walker in the torso, making that one fall as well. Windy then tore the knife from the dead walker. They proceeded to stomp the fallen walker's face in, as they raised their arm and slammed the knife down into the top of yet another walker's skull.

"That's right, come on! Don't worry, we're just getting started." Windy laughed dryly as they looked up to see another half dozen walkers stand up from the corpse they had all been eating.

Windy grabbed onto the first walker as it lunged for them. They let out a strained groan as they shoved the walker back to be able to stab it. Instead, the walker once again jumped at her, its growls filling their ears. The knife fell from their hand as the walker attacked once more. Windy cried out and used all of their strength to slam it into a nearby tree a few times, until the body became slack and unmoving. They let it drop to the ground, and they frantically crouched down and searched for their knife. Just as they spot it and pick it up, a few walkers have each advanced on them. Right as Windy stood up, one of the walkers was shot in the side of the head.

Keith then ran over as James lowered his gun. He made quick work, slicing through the skulls of two walkers. Immediately after, he turned and impaled a third one directly through its face. James stormed up to the final walker, placing the gun against its forehead. With no hesitation, he pulled the trigger and sent the walker flying back onto the ground with all the others. Keith and James both looked to Windy.

"I had it handled!" Windy yelled, "You didn't-- You didn't need to just step in like that!"

"You could've gotten yourself KILLED coming out here like this! What the hell were you thinking?!" Keith fired back.

"I was getting restless being cooped up in that fucking school. I needed to come out here to... clear my head, I don't know!" Windy rubbed their forehead.

"Look, whatever the reason, it was dangerous, and reckless, and stupid! You're smarter than this, Windy." James said, softer than Keith.

"Whatever. Shiro said I need to practice combat with one arm, so that's what I'm doing! But apparently, I can't even do that!" Windy glared daggers at Keith.

"Look, I've been where you've been, okay? Confused, afraid, so you start making rash decisions with the excuse that you HAVE to do them. But you DON'T. Just take a breath for one minute, and think shit through." Keith explained, "And I know you probably hate me for cutting off your arm, but like it or not, it happened!"

"Wait. H-Hate you?" Windy suddenly stopped, their anger fading, being replaced by confusion, "You... saved my life when you did that, I-I was BIT."

"But you seem so miserable now..." Keith remarked.

"I'd rather be miserable than DEAD, silly." Windy chuckled.

"I think anyone would be. See, Keith? Told you there wasn't anything to worry about." James smiled knowingly.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Keith crossed his arms.

"Look, Windy, we don't think you're a burden or a liability because you lost an arm. Not one bit. All we want is just to make sure you're safe. Ryan especially." James walked over and put a hand on his friend's shoulders, "We know you're capable, we know you can survive. Having just one arm doesn't change any of that about you."

"...Aww man, now I feel like an idiot." Windy facepalmed.

"First step in becoming a rational decision maker," Keith interjected, "Realizing that you probably looked like an idiot a lot of times."

That comment got a laugh from James and Windy as well, causing Keith to smile, too.

"Wanna head back now? Have you met your goal of walker killing?" James asked.

"I think I have. At least for a bit." Windy nodded, "I'll be sure to be at training on time next week."

"Good. I'm glad. And I know everyone will be glad to see you back, notably Ryan." James said.

"Oh god, Ryan! I probably gave the poor guy a heart attack." Windy kicked a walker's head guiltily.

"I'm sure he'll understand." Keith turned and scanned the area behind him for walkers, "Come on. Let's move before Mr. Griffin's gunshots draw more of the dead."

James swatted Keith as Windy stifled a laugh. The three of them headed back in the direction of Redwood.

Pidge and Hunk were passing through a small suburban neighborhood.

"This way should get us back quicker." Pidge commented, seeing Hunk's exhausted face.

"I... hope so..." Hunk moaned, "My feet are going to FALL OFF."

"Just hold out for a bit longer, we're almost--" Pidge stopped and suddenly sniffed the air, "Ugh, what the fuck is that? Is something... burning?"

"...I smell it too." Hunk agreed as he stopped walking as well.

Pidge looked around, until she suddenly noticed a plume of smoke coming from behind the house to their left just ahead of them.

"Back there!" Pidge started making a beeline right for it.

"Wait, what are we doing?!" Hunk grabbed her arm.

"If something's on fire, it could spread to these trees, which could spread to the school if it's bad enough. We can't take the risk!" Pidge surmised, before breaking free of Hunk's hold and running to the house. Hunk begrudgingly followed.

Pidge pulled out her gun and held it close to her body. Hunk did the same with his knife. Once they had snaked along the side of the house, Pidge jumped out and aimed the weapon. A few walker corpses were sprawled out on the ground. Smoke was billowing up from a mattress that had been burned. The fire was already out.

"Okay, crisis averted." Hunk lowered his knife, "No fire, no walkers, nothing to worry about, let's go."

"Looks like it." Pidge sighed as she turned around.

As they did, they immediately took notice of what lied ahead of them out on the road. A large pack of walkers had found their way out into the street roughly fifty yards up.

"Jesus Christ..." Pidge whispered.

"A detour for our detour... great." Hunk hung his head low.

"Hello! I don't mean to bother you!" A male voice called from behind them.

Pidge and Hunk both cried out in surprise, turning and holding the man at knifepoint. The man from earlier raised his hands and smiled.

"Whoa, whoa!! I don't mean you any harm!" The man pleads, "My name is Harry, and... I have been following you, just for a bit."

"Following us? Are you trying to rob us?" Pidge interrogated.

"No! No, not at all!" Harry shook his head.

"Then what for, dude?" Hunk looked tired.

"You see, I'm from a large group. Lately, we've been out recruiting new people to join us. We've got a system in place where all newcomers start out, until they eventually work their way up." Harry explained, "Our bossman's been real short on working people these days, tasked us with going out and bringin' some folks back."

"Why don't others in your group just volunteer?" Pidge tilted her head.

"Well... it doesn't quite work like that. Look, you'd really be helping me and my group out if you just came back with us. Bossman's been pissed at me recently for letting any other folks I find slip away." Harry said.

"Sorry, but we're actually with another group. People we know, so we aren't just going to drop everything and come with you." Hunk shot Harry a disapproving stare.

Harry, seemingly ignoring Hunk's comment, turned and looked right at him.

"Oh, yeah... the boss will really like you, big man. Nice and strong. Could probably knock a couple heads together, even." Harry smiled.

"Back off, PAL, we said we aren't fucking going with you." Pidge moved her finger to the trigger of the gun.

"Well, here's the part where I tell you that it isn't a choice." Harry then pulled out a gun, which Hunk reacted to first.

"PIDGE, DOWN!" Hunk screamed, tackling her to the ground as Harry fired two shots where Pidge had been standing.

"SHIT!" Pidge cried. She fired a shot at Harry from the ground, nicking him in the ankle.

"GET THE FUCK BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE SHITS!!!" Harry roared.

The walkers from down the street turned, the sound of the gunshots and the shouts drawing them.

"Inside, get inside!" Hunk grabbed the back of Pidge's shirt to pull her up, and the two ran around the house to hide from Harry and the walkers.

Harry stood up and shifted his weight to his foot that wasn't grazed. Pidge and Hunk climbed the stairs to the front door of the house. Hunk kicked the door down with no effort, and they slipped inside. Harry jogged after them, with a slight limp.

Hunk slammed the door shut behind them, and turned to Pidge.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god... what are we going to do?!" Hunk paced back and forth in the living room of the house.

"Stay calm, just-just stay calm! We'll be--SHIT!" Pidge was interrupted by the sound of Harry banging on the door, "Upstairs, now!"

Pidge and Hunk raced for the stairs just as Harry kicked down the door, this time severing it from its hinges. He spotted them and fired a few blind shots up at them, one of them nearly hitting Pidge. The walkers were also now at the doorway. Harry turned and shot one in the head as it tried to grab him, before he chased the two teens upstairs.

Once at the top of the stairs, Harry fired his gun at Hunk. Hunk ducked and rolled into an open room to his left, while Pidge jumped into a room on the right, farther down the hall.

"Splitting up, eh?" Harry shouted, "That'll only keep you safe for so long!"

More walkers filed into the house. A few were slowly making their way up the stairs, so Harry raised a foot and kicked one back, knocking several more back down. He turned and darted into the room Hunk had fled inside of, only to be body slammed into the well next to him.

"Leave us alone!" Hunk grunted as he attempted to pin Harry to the wall and swipe his gun.

"Fighting back will only make things WORSE." Harry shoved Hunk back, shouting the last word as Hunk fell onto a bed. Harry aimed and fired toward, Hunk, but he was able to roll off the bed to avoid the shot. On the ground, Hunk kicked him in his injured ankle.

Harry groaned from the hit as Hunk stood up and shoved him out into the hallway again. He rushed forward and tried to shove him over the banister.

"Little... shithead!" Harry kneed him in the stomach, but before he could shoot again, several bullets came flying down the hall. Pidge peeked out of the room she was in, firing her gun at him.

"Stay the hell away from him!" Pidge screamed.

Hunk took the chance to smack the gun from Harry's hands. Harry, instead of trying for it again, turned and charged for Pidge.

"NO!" Hunk cried.

"Hold back the walkers! I'll be fine!" Pidge called as she ducked back into the room.

Hunk swallowed in fear. He grabbed Harry's gun and turned to the stairs, where dozens of walkers were crowded. He unloaded several bullets into the heads of the ones on the stairs, and used their bodies to knock the lower ones over.

Harry stormed into the room Pidge was in; an office room. His eyes scanned for any sign of her, finding nothing. Then, a sharp cry came from behind him as Pidge burst out from behind the door. She leapt onto his back, clawing at his face.

"GAAAAH! Fucking bitch!" Harry shook himself back and forth to try and get her off.

Pidge just screamed with rage as she took her gun and proceeded to beat Harry on the head and face with it. Blood began to leak from his nose as Pidge continued to attack. She then aimed and shot down, hitting him in the foot. Harry screamed and thrusted forward, to which Pidge flipped off of him and onto the ground. She looked up and saw Harry about to kick her in the face, so she rolled over as his foot slammed into the ground.

Hunk shot three walkers in the head in quick succession. He tried to shoot another, when the gun clicked. Out of bullets. Hunk cursed quietly and pulled out his knife. He stabbed the walker at the top of the stairs through the eye and let the body collapse.

Pidge kicked Harry in the leg, swiping it out from under him. Harry fell flat on his back and let out a strained cry. Pidge pulled out her knife as both of them stood up. The two charged at each other, only for Pidge to raise the knife and stab him in the shoulder, deep. Harry screamed as he stumbled around Pidge, his balance wavering. He slowly ripped the knife out and held it out, his arm was starting to shake.

"Y-You... won't get off that easy..." Harry rasped as his body wobbled.

"You take people by force for SLAVE labor? What the fuck is wrong with your people?" Pidge spat, disgusted.

"The Fire of Purification will soon be upon us. Join us... and be spared of our t-true... capabilities." Harry coughed up some blood.

"Never." Pidge wiped some of her own blood off of her head. Then, she ran directly at Harry. The poor man, so beaten and weakened, didn't even react. With one final grunt, Pidge slammed Harry backwards, through an open window.

Harry's body landed with a sickening crunch down in the street below. His neck was twisted at an abnormal angle. Pidge stared down at him, before spitting out the window onto his body. No sooner did she turn away from the window, did Hunk burst into the room.

"PIDGE! There's too many walkers, we gotta go! Where-- Where's the guy?!" Hunk looked around.

"He's dead, don't worry about it!" Pidge grabbed Hunk by the wrist, "Come on!"

The two raced out into the hall, where walkers crowded the way back down the stairs.

"In here!" Hunk threw open the door to another bedroom. Pidge went in first, then Hunk jumped in and slammed the door. He pressed his body weigh against it as Pidge readied her gun.

"I don't have enough bullets to make it through all of them! There's like a HUNDRED!" Pidge cried in disbelief.

"Hold the door for me! I'm gonna look around!" Hunk shouted.

Pidge nodded, and in one fluid movement, Hunk pulled himself away from the door while Pidge pressed herself against it.

"What are you looking FOR?!" Pidge grunted as the walkers began to bang with more force as more of them pushed back.

"A way out! And, if I'm right about something..." Hunk trailed off, looking out the open window opposite of the door, "Yes! That mattress behind the house! It's right below us! We can land on it and still be okay!"

"You mean you want me to jump?! Are you INSANE?!" Pidge's eyes bulged out of her head.

"Are you not? Normally it'd be YOU suggesting this!" Hunk retorted, "Would you rather stay here and die to walkers, or jump for the mattress and most likely NOT die?!"

"I think the second option sounds preferable!" Pidge looked down at her feet sourly.

"Good, because we gotta do it now!" Hunk took off his bag with the supplies inside and dropped it out the window, "As SOON as I drop down, run for the window!"

"Right, yeah. I got it. Let's hope I can aim like my life depends on it!" Pidge said, voice dripping with anxiety.

Hunk pushed himself through the window. He lined his body up with the mattress below, and took a deep breath.

"Please..." Hunk whispered.

He let go of the windowsill. Instead of a brutal death like Harry, Hunk experienced a brief moment of shock as his back hit the mattress below. He coughed as he regained his bearings, and grabbed his bag that lied a few feet away. He stood up and craned his neck up toward the window.

"PIDGE, COME ON!!!" Hunk cupped his hands over his mouth and yelled.

In the bedroom, Pidge heard Hunk's warning.

"Okay... okay... now or never." Pidge panted. She eyed the door, then the window. Pidge hit the door and broke out into a run. She reached the window and stuck her head out to see Hunk down below.

The bedroom door was then broken down. Walkers flooded into the room as Pidge climbed out of the window. With one quick literal leap of faith, Pidge propelled herself off of the window and down to the ground. She screamed the whole way down, until her back hit the crusty, ashy mattress below. Hunk hurried up to her and helped her to her feet.

"You good?!" Hunk asked.

"Yeah, just perfect!" Pidge coughed as she regained her breath, "Let's get out of here before those dead fucks realize we're gone!"

The pair then turned and ran out onto the street, then in the direction the walkers had come from. From behind the house next door, the young indian woman Asha stood nearby. She watched Pidge and Hunk run up the road, a stoic expression across her face.

"D, do you copy?" Asha held up her radio as she turned around and walked to the other side of the house.

"Yeah, I copy. What's up, Ash?" D's voice crackled through the radio.

Asha looked in the direction of the walker filled house. She lifted the radio up again as she stared at Harry's body.

"Harry's dead. His newest targets got him." Asha informed her.

"God dammit. I knew that dumbass would get himself killed sooner or later." D huffed.

"Be respectful at least, Dolores. The man wasn't all bad." Asha replied, as Harry's eyes opened, and he sat up.

"Yeah, sure. Next I'll tell you that I'm in love with a man." Dolores remarked sarcastically.

"Relax, I know you and Roz are very happy together." Asha rolled her eyes. Walker Harry stood up, his neck bent at an unnatural angle, "Let the boss know I'm on my way back. I'm not gonna spend who knows how long cleaning up Harry's mess."

"Copy that, girl. I'll see you when you get back." Dolores said, before Asha switched off the radio.

Asha watched Harry's undead form mingle with the remaining walkers still lingering outside the house, before she turned and darted into the trees. The area was quiet for a little while longer, with only the sound of the walkers. That is, until another figure emerged from the other side of the street.

Jonas.

He spotted the house, in which walkers were beginning to wander out of, and his lips curled into a devious grin.

"My lucky day..." Jonas chuckled deeply as he approached the house. He raised the pot and spoon he had grabbed earlier up in front of him.

After he smacked a walker that had gotten too close across the head, killing it, Jonas took the spoon and began to bang the pot. The clang echoed around the near vicinity. The herd of walkers all stopped and turned to stare directly at him.

"Follow me!" Jonas shouted over the loud banging sounds he was making.

The walkers began to shamble towards him, so Jonas started walking backwards. The dozens of walkers packed inside the house followed their undead brethren in the march toward the teenager at the head of the line.

"We've got somewhere to be." Jonas said as he stared at his slowly growing herd.

Shawn was walking with a purpose through Plaht City, toward his house. He brushed past Sara on his path.

"Hey, Shawn, can you help me with something?" Sara tried to ask as Shawn slipped by.

"Sorry, I'm a little busy right now. Maybe in a bit." Shawn answered without turning back.

"O...kay." Sara slowly processed his response, and continued walking.

Shawn made it to his house. He did a quick scan to see if anyone was looking in his direction. When he saw no one, he walked around the stairs that led up, instead he snaked along the side of his house. Coming around the back, he turned his head, and stopped in his tracks. Leaning against the wall of his house was Deborah.

"Figured you'd show up here." Deborah looked up at the man.

"What... What do you want?" Shawn balled his hands into fists.

"I want to know what you think you're going to do." Deborah stood up straight and approached Shawn, "William's been telling me about how you've been getting up in his face. What was it you told him? You'll... strike when the moment is right? I'd love to hear what you've got."

"Yeah, that's right. I'm going to expose you to everyone here. It's about time you both were knocked down from that pedestal of yours." Shawn growled.

"Go right ahead! Let's see how far you get!" Deborah threw out her hands, "Have you got anyone helping you? Surely you can't doing this alone... is it those kids? I've seen you around them very often recently..."

"How dare you bring them into this. I've been talking to them and helping them through a tough time because they're worried about their friends being out there. Which, might I add, they were probably attacked by Bryan's own father! I know what kind of man your husband is, and I know he isn't above attacking unprovoked. You know it JUST as well as I do." Shawn spat.

"So what? He gets the dirty work done so we're able to survive. All I want now is my son back, and that other group is getting in the way of that. But we're getting Bryan back." Deborah folded her arms over.

Shawn froze as he took in her words. Realization dawned.

"You're going to attack the group again. You're... You're going to kill them and they won't even see it coming!" Shawn began to back away, "No. No, I am NOT letting you do this."

Shawn turned on his heel and began to storm off. Deborah reached down and grabbed something from her belt.

"You won't be able to stop it." Deborah said.

Shawn turned back around, just in time to grab Deborah's wrist as she thrusted her knife toward him.

"SHIT!" Shawn exclaimed, "H-HEL--!"

Deborah punched Shawn in the jaw. He bent down and held his face, only to kick Deborah in the knee suddenly. He turned to run, but she grabbed him by the ankle, dragging him to the ground alongside her. Shawn rolled back and punched her across the face.

"Get... the fuck... off!" Deborah demanded as Shawn tried to climb on top of her and wrap his hands around her throat.

"You... and him... are not fit... to lead this place!" Shawn said through his teeth, "You won't get AWAY WITH THIS!"

His hands found their way to her neck, and started to squeeze. He pressed harder and harder, until Deborah appeared to go limp. He stood up, panting hard after fighting for his life. Shawn looked at his hands for a moment, before he turned away from her body.

Unknown to him, Deborah opened her eyes. She was still alive. She reached down and grabbed the knife that was next to her, and stood up as silent as possible. Just as Shawn began to walk out from behind the house, Deborah grabbed his shoulder and plunged the knife into his back. Shawn's eyes bulged, and he coughed in shock.

"Next time... make sure I'm dead, prick." Deborah sneered into his ear. She ripped the knife out and let Shawn stumble forward to his hands and knees.

"Y-You... fucking... bit-- bitch..." Shawn spat up a little bit of blood, "Everyone will kn-know... someone did this to me."

"Then we should make it look like a suicide, shouldn't we?" Deborah asked rhetorically.

Shawn threw blind punches as Deborah wrapped an arm around his neck. She took her knife and dragged it over his left wrist. Blood began to gush from the wound. Shawn tried to let out a scream, only for Deborah to place the hand over his mouth. Shawn went limp in her hold, and she let him fall flat in the grass. She picked up his right arm, and dragged the knife across his other wrist as well. Lastly, as Shawn's breathing grew more shallow, she placed the bloody knife in his right hand. Shawn gave her one last weak look of defiance, before his head fell flat against the ground, and rolled to one side.

Deborah looked over her clothing, and once she found no blood, she walked away, sneaking around the backside of the row of houses to avoid being seen. Shawn's blood began to soak into the grass surrounding his corpse.

"You said Shawn's got a plan?" Jace looked at Sam as she, Max, Audrey, and himself walked toward his house a few hours later.

"It's what he said." Sam nodded, "Didn't tell me what it was, though. We were too busy getting watched by Bryan's annoying mother."

"Seriously? What, are we on her radar now?" Jace sighed heavily.

"I hope not. She scares me sometimes..." Max wrung his hands together.

"Relax, dude. Look, here's Shawn's house. Make sure nobody follows us and then we can go around." Sam instructed.

The four teens walked single file along the side of the house. Sam rounded the corner first, and she saw what appeared to be Shawn standing several feet ahead of her.

"Shawn? We're here." Sam called out. Shawn didn't turn around.

"Uh... is he okay?" Audrey quirked a brow.

"Gimme a sec, I'll go up to him." Sam narrowed her eyes at Shawn's figure.

"Be careful." Max warned as he hid himself partially behind Jace.

"It's Shawn, what's he going to do?" Sam shot Max a strange look, before she faced forward and started to carefully approach the man.

Shawn wasn't making any noise. His fingers were twitching a little. Sam noticed this.

"Shawn...? Are you okay?" Sam repeated, and she put a hand on his arm, "Dude, what's--?"

Sam stopped as Shawn suddenly whirled around and grabbed her by the wrist. He growled as Sam stared into his undead eyes.

"Shawn? OH GOD, SHAWN!!! SHIT!" Sam yelled, tugging at her arm.

"Sam, fuck!" Jace rushed over and pushed Shawn back, which freed Sam.

Walker Shawn turned and slammed Jace against the back of the house. Audrey then grabbed him by the shoulders and tried pulling him off Jace. Max stared in shock, before turning and running around the house.

"HELP! WE NEED HELP!" Max screamed at the top of his lungs.

Audrey lost her grip on Shawn's shoulders, and fell on the ground.

"His... His wrists were cut!" Sam suddenly saw as Shawn held Jace back.

"Quick, help me find a knife around here! It's gotta be here!" Audrey then turned over on all fours and began crawling through the grass. Sam got down to help.

Max came running back around to see Jace losing strength against the walker.

"Stay away from him!" Max pointed angrily. Then, he took a deep breath, and ran at him.

In a split second, Max tackled walker Shawn to the ground. Jace pulled himself off of the wall and stared at Max in shock.

"Max! You--" Jace started.

"Oh god, HELP!" Max panicked as he attempted to crawl away, only for walker Shawn to grab his ankle and pull him back. Jace acted fast and grabbed onto Max's arms.

Audrey's hands clawed through the grass, until a shiny glint caught her eye just in front of her. She grabbed the knife and held it high up.

"I've got the knife! I've got it!" Audrey cheered.

"Hurry up and stab him!" Jace shouted as Sam joined him in pulling on Max.

"Oh, right!" Audrey winced.

She got up from the grass and ran over to walker Shawn. She first planted a foot on his back, then finally raised the knife first, and drove it down into the top of his head. The hand around Max's ankle went limp, and Sam and Jace pulled him away.

"Are you okay?!" Jace felt Max's arms and legs.

"Yeah, yeah... I-I'm fine!" Max insisted.

"You... You saved me." Jace smiled.

"SHAWN?!" Annie screamed as she and a bunch of others rushed over and saw the carnage.

"What happened here?!" Marco questioned in disbelief.

"We-- We were looking for Shawn and we found him turned... like this. He attacked us and we put him down." Audrey explained.

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph..." Eugene put his hands over his head.

Deborah then stepped through the crowd of people, examining Shawn's body.

"His wrists were cut..." Deborah pretended to discover, "He... must've killed himself."

"No!" Annie placed a hand over her mouth.

"Holy shit, man..." Virgil commented from the crowd.

"Shawn was a nice man. I'm sorry to see him go like this." Deborah hung her head low, "Tyler, Kenneth, please take care of the body."

"On it." Kenneth nodded.

Before the two men walked over, Max looked down at the body. His eyes narrowed when he spotted something strange. Blood had been running down Shawn's back. Max followed the trail upward until he laid eyes on a stab wound in his back. Max suppressed a gasp at his discovery and quickly turned.

"Very sad, yes..." Max began to wring his hands again, "Shawn was always so nice to us."

"I'm... sorry about this, kids. We'll hold a service tonight." Deborah reassured them, all while wearing a fake smile.

Kenneth and Tyler lifted Shawn's body and carried it away. Annie watched his body go, having stopped crying, but was on the verge of starting again.

"It'll be okay... you'll get through this." John placed a hand on her shoulder.

"One of my closest friends just died, how the HELL will it be okay?!" Annie turned and stormed off, to which John and Kelsey chased after her.

Layla stared at the body, not saying anything, before she turned and briskly walked away.

"Ro, come on... let's, uhh, see if there's anything we can do to help." Virgil pulled on his brother.

Roman nodded wordlessly, and followed after Virgil as they walked away.

"People are really taking this hard." Jace noted.

Sam didn't take her eyes off of Deborah while she silently left. Soon enough, everyone else was gone from the scene but the four kids, until George came running over.

"I heard what happened! Is everyone alright?!" George embraced Jace tightly.

"We're okay. No one got bit. But fuck... poor Shawn." Audrey looked down, "Who knew he was going through enough for him to take his own life like this."

"He never even seemed like he was depressed, let alone suicidal." Sam remarked.

"I agree, it is... rather unexpected." George agreed.

"Th-That's because he wasn't." Max suddenly said. Everyone turned to look at him.

"What are you talking about?" Jace's nose wrinkled.

"Before they took his body a minute ago, I saw a stab wound in his BACK." Max revealed.

"But she said he'd cut his wrists... you can't--" Sam thought out loud.

"Stab yourself in the back? Exactly!" Max finished, "And on top of that, Deborah KNEW Shawn cut his wrists without even turning him on his front to look at him! Do you realize what this could mean?"

"It means... holy fuck, it means Deborah killed Shawn." Audrey's eyes widened.

"She must be onto us. Alright, from now on, you kids stay with Jace and I, just in case she grows bolder and decides to come for any of you." George insisted.

"That might be the best idea right now." Jace nodded.

"Yeah... let's do it." Audrey said, taking a deep breath.

George then led the four teens away from Shawn's house, now vacant.

Lance poked a curious head inside the cafeteria at Redwood. At first, he couldn't see anyone inside. That is, until Matt walked out from the kitchen in the back. In one hand was a package of store bought cookies, and in the other was a single lit birthday candle.

"Can you believe these cookies are still good? I guess that's what processed goods are good for." Matt chuckled with a lopsided smile.

"You... what...?" Lance walked in, his head tilted.

"Marco told me that today's your birthday, and also told me more about... other stuff." Matt said, "I know today is a pretty big bittersweet day, and I know you're hurting. But you were there for me before when I lost my family... let me return the favor."

Lance stood still, before he suddenly approached Matt and nearly knocked him over with a hug.

"Whoa! Careful...! Don't wanna drop this candle and burn the whole place down." Matt lifted the candle above their heads so he wouldn't drop it.

"Thank you for this. It's nice, really. Everyone's been supportive today. Keith talked to me a little, Shiro, Allura." Lance smiled, "I'm glad I'm a part of this group. I don't think I'd want it any other way, even if my family was with me. My friends are like my family now, too."

"I'm glad you think of us that way." Matt and Lance pulled out from the embrace, "So, wanna bust open these cookies?"

"Heck yeah!" Lance laughed as they sat down at a table.

Matt ripped the sticker off the box and used no effort to pull open the plastic box. He took out a cookie and broke it in half.

"Let's hope they're ACTUALLY good." Matt eyed the dessert uneasily.

"If I end up barfing, I'm coming for you." Lance jabbed a finger at him, but smiled.

"I wouldn't blame you." Matt agreed, "Oh, wait! Before we try these roulette cookies."

Matt held up the still lit birthday candle.

"Care to make a wish?" Matt offered.

Lance's eyes watched the dancing flame of the candle, almost in a trance. Then, he leaned in and blew the candle out softly.

"I hope it was a good wish." Matt smiled as he set down the smoking candle.

"I know you're not supposed to say them, but if the world as we knew it can change, then other traditions can, too." Lance looked at Matt, "I wished that we'd all have a happy ending."

"Yeah, that's a good wish." Matt found himself smiling big.

Windy was back in their room, their hand on their head, which was lowered. They weren't alone for long, when Ryan rushed in.

"Windy! Oh, you're okay. Thank god." Ryan knelt down and hugged them.

"Hi, Ryan." Windy smiled a little.

"Are you okay?" Ryan pulled back, hearing the monotone in their voice.

"...I'm sorry." Windy suddenly said, "I-I was acting stupid today, I don't--"

"No, stop. You've been through a lot, more than we realize. You had to deal with the loss of our friend, and not long before finding out, you lost an arm, and now you're worried about your place here. Your concerns are valid!" Ryan assured.

"I-I know that now. Shiro, Keith, James... they really helped. I think I know myself a little better now." Windy stood up, kissing Ryan on the lips. Ryan returned the affection a moment later.

"Glad to see you feeling better." Ryan licked his lips.

"That reminds me, on the topic of... knowing myself. Could you maybe... start using only they/them pronouns for me? I feel a lot more comfortable in that identity than I did before." Windy looked out the window.

"Of course I will, Windy. I'll be sure to spread the word to the others soon." Ryan nodded, "But, before that, I have something to show--"

A girl with a blonde ponytail stumbled into the room, holding a long metal object. Attached to it was a knife.

"Whoa! Whoa... okay, we're good!" The girl giggled, "That knife on the end really kinda offset my balance."

"I... don't recognize you?" Windy rasied an eyebrow at her.

"Oh, hi! Sorry, I've, uh... been here the whole time, I just... keep to myself. I'm Maddie, by the way! I heard Ryan talking about wanting to make you something for your, err... stump. So I offered my help. I'm rather handy with making things." Maddie introduced.

"Well, nice to meet you." Windy offered a friendly smile, then turned their attention to the metal contraption in Maddie's hands, "Wait, this... this is for me?"

"Yep! Ryan helped me make it." Maddie grinned.

"We can strap it around your arm with these straps Maddie found from a backpack, that way you don't have to worry about it falling off. I also came up with the idea for the knife attached to the end, that way you can technically duel wield if it comes down to it. Two knives, a gun and a knife, you name it." Ryan continued.

Windy beamed, and they felt tears roll down their cheeks.

"You did all of this for me?" Windy took the makeshift metal arm from Maddie.

"Why wouldn't I? I love you, Windy. It hurt me to see you feeling like you didn't belong." Ryan said as he took the metal arm and slipped it over Windy's stump. He wrapped the straps around Windy's bicep and buckled them together.

"There's even a buckle." Windy said through happy tears.

"Sorry we couldn't give you fingers or anything like that. I'm good with parts, but... not that good." Maddie rubbed the back of her head.

"It doesn't matter to me. This is still the best thing to ever happen to me. Thank you. Thank you both so much." Windy jumped up and down and hugged Ryan again.

"M-Make sure you watch that knife now..." Ryan warned.

"Oh! Shit, right... I'll be more careful." Windy chuckled sheepishly, "Man, this is so COOL! We gotta go show the others!"

"Hell yeah." Maddie nodded, "Maybe then I can finally introduce my--"

She stops as a familiar voice cried out from far away.

"GET THE GATES OPEN!!!" Pidge screamed.

"Pidge and Hunk are back." Ryan looked out of the room's window.

"It doesn't sound like that's a good thing." Windy added as the three raced out of the room.

Ryan, Windy, and Maddie burst out of the school. Lance and Matt appeared right behind them. Pidge and Hunk were running as fast as they could up to the gate.

"Avery, get it open NOW!" Grace cried as she ran over.

"Already on it!" Avery grunted as he pulled open the gate, with the help of Colleen and Marcus.

"Holy SHIT!" Jake exclaimed from the watch tower, "Are you guys seeing this?!"

Everyone looked through the gate as Pidge and Hunk stumbled inside.

"KATIE!" Colleen ran to her daughter and pulled her close.

"Hunk? Hunk, are you alright?!" Marcus was by his side in an instant.

"Oh, my god." Adam breathed quietly.

About a hundred yards away, the herd of walkers from Pidge and Hunk's encounter was coming their way.

"What in the Sam Hill is that?!" Tara cried.

"Walkers... a LOT of them!" Curtis gasped.

"Well there goes my weekend plans!" Rizavi slapped her knee with a frown, but looked anxious.

Star raised her gun at the gate, but Shay pulled her back.

"Don't." Shay shook her head, "Too risky."

Jade and Lukas came up beside Grace.

"Are we gonna die?" Lukas looked up.

"No. We're gonna be okay." Grace hugged him.

"All of us?" Lukas asked.

Grace stood and wrapped an arm around Jade.

"All of us." Grace nodded.

"How are there so many...?" Nancy's voice quivered.

"We have to get them away from here! There's no way our gate will keep them all out." Shay suggested.

"None of us would get out of here with a car in time, let alone the RV." Romelle shook her head, "Besides, there's only one road away from here. And they're on it."

"Are you saying we're gonna be TRAPPED? Like, completely boxed in, no way of escape trapped?" Damien started to panic.

"I don't see any way we could avoid that." Keith turned to him.

"Fuck... Fuck fuck fuck..." Damien's hands went to his head as he paced back and forth.

"I-I don't wanna die, Lorenzo. I-I don't--" Bryan stammered as they took a few steps away from the crowd.

"We're going to be okay. We will." Lorenzo assured.

"F-Fortify the gate! Fortify the gate!" Curtis urged.

"Okay, good idea, actually. Everyone find sturdy things we can prop against the gate! HURRY!" Shiro ordered.

Many people began to run off in search.

"Holy crow! That's a lot of walkers!" Lance shrieked as he and Matt ran over.

"What happened out there?!" Marcus asked.

"We ran into a little trouble out there, but we didn't think these walkers FOLLOWED us!" Hunk explained.

"They weren't following us when we ditched them at first. I looked." Pidge furrowed her eyebrows.

"Whatever happened, I'm just glad you're okay." Colleen sighed, "Was that all that happened out there?"

Images of Harry being shoved out of the window replayed through Pidge's mind.

"Uh..." Pidge began.

"I think that question can wait!" Jake shouted from the wall, "The parade is getting closer!"

Jake took aim and shot down a couple stray walkers, until his rifle clicked.

"Shit! S-Someone get me more ammo, and someone else come help me up here!" Jake groaned.

"On it! Be right back!" Matt ran off.

Just then, Jonas ran up, stopping beside Spencer and Tara.

"What's going on?" Jonas questioned.

"Where the hell have YOU been?" Tara crossed her arms.

"Minding my own business, what about YOU?" Jonas retorted, "Whatever, I don't have time for your bullshit. We've got bigger problems."

Jonas walked past Tara, who just stared at him with a disapproving frown.

"Here! We have this!" Curtis called out as he and Lorenzo pushed over an old worn down couch from the corner of the courtyard.

The two pushed it against the gate.

"Think this stuff will hold?" Avery looked between the gate and the gaining herd.

Shiro, Adam, Keith, Lance, Pidge, Hunk, Grace, Lorenzo, James, Allura, Romelle, Colleen, Curtis, and Avery all looked through the gate as the dust being kicked up by the walkers reached them.

"Guess we have no choice but to find out." Keith remarked as everyone readied their weapons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is officially the longest chapter ever, being over 14k words lmao
> 
> oh and *spooky noises* what will happen next? >_>


	7. Rat in a Maze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group is trapped. Jonas grows reckless. William enacts his master plan.

Nadia Rizavi and James pushed a bedside table up against the gate.

"We need more!" Rizavi shouted.

"Already on it!" Ryan called back as he and Maddie shoved a picnic table beside them.

Jake leaned over from the guard tower.

"Guys, back up! They're almost here!" Jake warned.

Ryan, Rizavi, James, and Maddie backed away as others piled other various small objects against the gate. Jake climbed down the guard tower and stumbled back just as the first walkers began to claw and reach through the bars of the gate.

"Pidge... look..." Hunk shook her arm and pointed to one of the front most walkers.

"What do you--?" Pidge followed his point, and she stopped.

Walker Harry was there. He reached through the bars and was letting out loud snarls as he slammed his own body against the metal gate.

"Oh, jeez..." Pidge mumbled under her breath.

Beside them, many others began to shout and panic.

"They're gonna get in! We're screwed!" Damien paced back and forth.

"The walls won't hold... there's way too many..." Star took a few steps back.

"Come on, guys! We can't panic!" Curtis spoke up, stepping in the middle of everyone, "If we just take a breath, we can figure something out. SHIRO will figure something out."

"That's right. Just give us all a second to breathe, and we'll think of a plan." Shiro agreed as he stood behind Curtis.

"We don't have time to breathe! There are WALKERS outside the gates!" Spencer exclaimed angrily.

"Watch your mouth! We're all doing the best we can!" Allura stepped in front of him.

"Looks like your BEST isn't enough." Jonas sneered.

"Does one good thought ever come from that tiny, cold, shriveled little brain of yours?" Allura then got in Jonas' face.

"STOP!" Tara shoved Jonas back, "Stop pickin' fights with everyone, for fuck's sake! Just let it be!"

"She's not worth my time anyway." Jonas huffed, before walking away. As he did, he looked back at Spencer, with a small head tilt to signal him to follow.

Spencer grabbed the arm of the other boy, as well as Tara's, and pulled them after Jonas.

"What if... What if we lead the walkers away somehow?" Jade suggested. A few others nodded in agreement.

"But how would the people who go THROUGH with this lead them away? Or even GET OUT of here in the first place?" Keith asked.

"What about the gaps in the fences? We could have two groups split up and sneak through each one." Grace shrugged.

"But would all of the walkers even follow after them?" Lance gestured to the barricaded gate, "Because that is a LOT of them. More than we've ever seen at once."

"Maybe we could get a car out?" Marcus pointed off to the side, where the group's old cars and the RV were parked.

"Not to come off as rude, but... the walkers are blocking the ONLY road exit." Rizavi reminded him, "Only way out is on foot."

"Okay... Okay. So some of us will slip out of the school, armed with guns, and draw as many walkers away as we can." Shiro decided, "Whoever else is here, when the herd gets thin enough out front, cover us from the back and kill as many as you can."

"Sounds like plan enough for me." Adam nodded, "I'm helping. Anyone else?"

"I am." Marco walked over.

"Count me in, too." Marcus followed.

"Dad, are you--?" Hunk grabbed him by the arm.

"We need all the volunteers we can get, so I'm doing this." Marcus' voice didn't waver.

"Alright, we can head out the side gap." Shiro pointed.

"Uhhh... might wanna rethink that." Veronica spoke up, jogging over and also pointing to the side fence. Walkers were now visible, clawing at the sealed off fence. They were surrounded.

"Shit." Marco groaned.

"You'd barely make it out before walkers were splitting you open like a _piñata._ " Veronica said.

"What about the back gap?" Adam suggested.

"No!" Nancy finally yelled, "I want to get rid of these walkers as much as anyone else, but we cannot afford to have ANYONE go out there without proper protection! It isn't worth anyone's lives here!"

Everyone fell silent. Nobody spoke up again, until Shiro did.

"...Mrs. McClain is right. It's too risky to just go out there and blindly draw walkers. We'll take some time, fortify the gate and walls, and come up with a better plan later." Shiro said to everyone.

"We should put some people on the guard tower right here, to warn us in case the gate goes." Adam added.

"I can do it." James offered.

"Not alone, you're not. I'll be up there with James." Keith quickly stepped up beside him.

"Alright, then." Shiro nodded as James walked away to climb the ladder, "Hey, Keith?"

"Yeah?" Keith stopped and turned back to his older brother.

"Be CAREFUL." Shiro whispered.

"Of course, Shiro." Keith smiled.

Jonas shut the door to a bedroom, where he, Spencer, Tara, and the other boy were sitting.

"What are we doing here now?" Tara grumbled impatiently.

"Aren't there more... pressing issues?" Spencer raised a hand.

"Yeah..." The other boy suddenly spoke up, "I feel like we should be out with the others."

"Wow, Erik. I don't think I've heard you speak in forever." Tara remarked.

"I just... don't really got a lot to say." Erik shrugged.

"Everyone shut up! Just... shut up." Jonas waved his hands around.

"Don't get pissy with us. You're the one who snuck us all away to meet here." Tara crossed her arms.

"So far my little plan is working out good. The walkers made it here without any issues. What's more is people still think they followed Pidge and Hunk." Jonas recalled.

"Wait... what are you sayin'?" Tara stood up from her spot on the bed.

"Yes, genius, I drew the walkers here." Jonas confirmed.

Although Tara had already suspected it, she stumbled back as if she were struck across the face.

"And you didn't think to TELL any of us?! We ALL could die because of this!" Tara stomped forward and jabbed him in the chest.

"Calm DOWN, Princess. We're gonna be fine. Once we find a way to get the walkers inside, we'll duck down and hide somewhere they wouldn't go, like the basement." Jonas turned away.

"Once we LET THEM IN?! Do you even HEAR yourself?!" Tara face became red as her anger boiled over.

"Uh, Jonas... isn't that a bit extreme...?" Spencer murmured.

"We SAID we wanted to take this place back from those fuckers. What better way than get the herd to wipe them all out?" Jonas shot all of them a look as if what he said was obvious.

"You know what, I'm fucking done. You've become too caught up in this delusional vengeance tirade of yours. You can try to do what you planned, but I'm fucking telling Grace." Tara shoved past Jonas and headed for the door.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Jonas grabbed Tara by the shoulder, only for her to swing around and punch him across the cheek.

"Try and stop me, asshole." Tara panted.

Jonas unsheathed a knife from his belt.

"TARA!" Spencer reached out.

"I don't have to." Jonas spat as he grabbed Tara again and drove the knife into the back of her neck.

Tara's eyes widened as the metal pierced through her neck. As the knife was ripped out, she fell to the floor, writhing and choking on the blood that steadily leaked out. It didn't take long for Tara to roll onto her back, and slowly stop moving. Spencer and Erik stared at her body in frozen, silent horror. Jonas knelt down and stabbed her unmoving body in the forehead to prevent her from coming back.

"Help me move the body, then we can clean up this blood. Say. Fucking. Nothing. Got it?" Jonas looked at the two teens.

"Y-Yeah... we got it." Spencer nodded and swallowed hard. He and Erik exchanged uneasy glances.

Hunk was sitting against a wall just inside the main entrance to the school. Marcus was standing beside him.

"Hunk, are you feeling alright?" Marcus asked, "You look like you're shivering."

"I-I'm fine. I promise." Hunk looked up with only a half smile.

"You're clearly not. Please talk to me?" Marcus pressed as he knelt in front of his son.

"...I'm just nervous about the walkers. Th-That's all." Hunk shuddered.

Pidge and Lance made their way over as Marcus stood up.

"Mind if we talk to him, Mr. Garrett?" Pidge shrugged.

"Of course." Marcus nodded, "I'll be outside helping secure the walls if you need me, Hunk."

Marcus kissed the top of Hunk's head and walked away. Pidge and Lance sat down on either side of him.

"Hunk, buddy... I know it can't just be the walkers out there bothering you. Because I know YOU." Lance put a hand on his shoulder.

"We're here for you to talk to. I don't ever want you to think that you aren't able to." Pidge agreed.

"...I-I don't know, I just... th-the walkers... it's like the Galaxy Garrison all over again." Hunk looked down.

"Oh... I understand." Pidge breathed in softly.

"We were boxed in by so many walkers, and when they got in... things got so... so BAD, and then... I lost my mom." Hunk looked like he was on the verge of tears, "I don't want this to turn out like that. I don't want to lose anyone. Not my dad, not you guys, no one!"

"You don't have to worry about losing any of us. We're gonna be right by your side through this." Lance assured him, "Don't forget, we're the freakin' Garrison Trio! We can handle anything that life throws at us, right?"

"R-Right... yeah, hehe." Hunk smiled a little.

"There's that beautiful smile of yours." Pidge caressed Hunk's cheek and planted a quick kiss in the same place.

"And hey, who was it that took the first shot at those walkers back at the Garrison?" Lance continued.

"Well... me?" Hunk answered sheepishly.

"Ya see? You can do this, Hunky." Lance rubbed his back, "You just gotta find that drive in you."

"I don't mean to sound dramatic, but I feel like it's gotten a lot smaller." Hunk shook his head.

"Nuh uh, I don't believe that. Not after you and I jumped out of a fucking WINDOW just an hour or two ago." Pidge denied with a chuckle.

"You what?" Lance looked at her strangely.

"Some guy attacked us, walkers showed up, I pushed him out a window, he's now also one of the walkers out there, we jumped from a window to escape, blah, blah, blah, you get it." Pidge dismissed the subject with a wave of her hand.

"I don't-- nevermind. Hunk, what we're both saying is that you know you still have it in you to brave your way through this. I know it, Pidge knows it, and your mom? She knew it for your entire life." Lance said.

Hunk was silent as Lance's words processed, then, he wrapped his big arms around both of them.

"I love you guys so much!" Hunk whined as his eyes welled up with tears. Pidge squirmed.

"Crushing... my NECK..." Pidge choked out.

"S-Sorry! Sorry." Hunk quickly let them both go.

"That's better." Pidge adjusted the neck of her green shirt.

From down the hall, Bae Bae galloped over and started licking Hunk's face.

"Looks like she believes in you, too." Pidge scratched the top of the dog's head.

"A vote of confidence from Bae Bae is all I need." Hunk sighed, then tilted his head, "Okay, hug take two?"

"Aboslutely." Pidge nodded.

"Bring it in, Team Punk." Lance smiled as the three friends embraced one another. When they pulled away, Pidge swatted Lance on the arm.

"Ow, HEY! What was that for?!" Lance rubbed his arm.

"Only Hunk and I are allowed to call ourselves Team Punk... and also Shiro and my mom because I'm too afraid to hit them and would never do that anyway." Pidge explained.

"You are both so weird." Hunk just smiled.

Out on the watch tower right next to the gate, Keith and James both stood, armed with rifles. Both of them were staring down at the walkers below.

"How can there be so many...?" James murmured.

"Don't ask me. There just... is." Keith shrugged.

"I wasn't asking, it was just rhetorical." James clarified, "I'm just super freaked out."

"Oh." Keith looked away.

Down below, Bryan and Lorenzo leaned a mattress down against the other barricade items blocking the gate,

"You sure no one's gonna be missing that mattress?" Keith called down.

"We got it from Elyse's room. I think it'll be okay." Lorenzo said.

Keith just grimaced and nodded. Bryan looked through the small portion of the gate that was still uncovered.

"Th-They're so packed in... I bet we're surrounded all the way around." Bryan folded their arms over their chest.

"Stay calm, Bry. We won't be good to anyone if we let our fear get in the way." Lorenzo put an arm around them.

"How can I when the walkers out there are probably around us... maybe twenty deep?" Bryan countered, "Veronica was right, we couldn't get out even if we tried."

"Come on, we'll go inside and get you calmed down. Don't think about anything outside, it'll just be you and me." Lorenzo walked away, leading Bryan with him.

"Y-You and me." Bryan repeated, smiling.

"Looks like it isn't just you who's this worried." Keith noted.

"I figured not. We're surrounded by maybe a thousand walkers. I'm serious, I've NEVER seen this many." James said after a deep breath.

As they talked, some walkers began to push on the gate. The barricade pushed in slightly, but didn't break. Other walkers began to crowd around the area below Keith and James. James was the first to notice.

"Shit. Can't let them all crowd in one area." James said as he aimed his rifle and shot three walkers in the head simultaneously.

"Whoa whoa whoa, won't the gunfire just draw more?" Keith made him stop shooting and pushed the barrel of the gun down.

"Listen," James held a hand up, "The noises these guys are making pretty much drowns out the sound to most of the other ones. So we can take care of any issues in this area without worrying about creating another one to replace it."

Keith responded by aiming his rifle and shooting a walker in the head. He turned to James and smirked.

"Bet I could take out more than you." Keith chuckled as he shot two more.

"Ohoho, is that a challenge, Kogane?" James laughed in response, "I like your style. Game on."

Both James and Keith began firing down into the tops of many walkers' heads. Soon, small piles of bodies were formed just outside the wall. Other walkers began to trip and fall, where the ones standing would trample them, some even to death. James fired a bullet into one more walker, before his gun clicked when he pulled the trigger again.

"God dammit, outta ammo." James groaned, "You win, Kogane."

"Ha, good try, GRIFFIN." Keith playfully mocked James' way of referring to him.

"Just shut up and get me some more ammo?" James asked.

Keith turned and gave him a stare. James sighed deeply.

"PLEASE." James added with a dramatic bow.

"There you go. I didn't spend years getting harped on by Shiro to use my manners to let others go by without them, too." Keith joked, "Here, use the rest of the ammo in my gun if you need it. I'll get us both new magazines."

James took Keith's gun as the latter began to climb down the ladder. Unbeknownst to either of them, more walkers had congregated around the gate due to the creaks and groans it was making when it was pushed against. Two very rusty bars on the gate began to chip away. As Keith was halfway down, the rusty bars snapped off. Several walkers clawed their arms through the gate, which knocked away at some of the barricade. A bedside table that had been stacked on top of others things rolled down. James finally noticed.

"SHIT, KEITH MOVE!" James yelled as the bedside table collided with the supports of the ladder.

The wooden supports snapped in the collision, and the ladder snapped off as well. The rest of the gate's barricade came tumbling down as well as more and more walkers pushed against the gate. Keith fell to the ground with a painful sound as James grabbed onto the wall for stability when the tower was rocked.

Everyone who was outside froze and looked over at the giving gate. Pidge, Hunk, and Lance burst outside.

"Guys, that gate's gonna give!" Romelle warned.

Sure enough, with everything barricading it out of the way, the walkers busted through the lock. Dozens began filing into the courtyard of the school.

"Son of a BITCH! Everyone inside, NOW!" Shiro yelled over the increasingly loud walker moans.

Sam was walking through the streets of Plaht City. She neared the front of the community, where almost all of its residents were standing around many trucks, cars, and vans. Many were handing guns to other people. Among them were William and Deborah.

"Here, Virge, take this." Roman handed his brother a large assault rifle.

"I don't need that, I've got this." Virgil held up a pistol.

"Yeah, that THAT'LL do any damage to them." Roman rolled his eyes, "Just take it? For me?"

"Ugh, fine." Virgil rolled his eyes and took the larger gun.

"Love you, bro bro." Roman chuckled.

John was handing out guns to Kelsey, Layla, Luna, Peter, Jeanette, and Andy.

"Are we really doing this?" Kelsey stared down at her gun.

"Fuck yeah we are. Those fucking assholes killed my boyfriend." Luna tightened the grip on her gun.

"Hey, relax. Don't go shooting any of us." Layla lightly rubbed her shoulder.

"Still... this doesn't feel right." Kelsey shook her head.

"Don't let WIlliam catch you sayin' shit like that." Andy remarked, "Dude's a bit extreme, might execute you on the spot."

"Now ain't that hypocritical?" Peter retorted with a sly smirk.

"Hey, shut up." Andy scoffed.

Sam quickly brushed past them, also passing Donna and Rose, who were hugging each other.

"If things go bad, you'll find me, right?" Donna asked.

"Of course. We stick together." Rose nodded with a smile.

Ahead of them, Lucia was standing in front of William and Deborah, looking upset.

"Think about what you're doing!" Lucia exclaimed.

"I have thought about it. You're not changing my mind anytime soon." William's gaze remained stoic.

"You KNOW this is wrong. I'm very disappointed in you, Bill." Lucia stormed past her son and also past Sam.

"Mrs. Robinson, wait!" Sam suddenly turned. Lucia stopped.

"What's... going on?" Sam asked.

"My son and my daughter-in-law have decided to attack that group today. But what they fail to realize is that their own CHILD is there, not to mention that no one there deserves to be fired upon." Lucia lamented.

"Oh, shit... pardon my language." Sam gasped.

"I think you're right this time, sweetheart. I tried to convince them to stop but they just won't listen..." Lucia looked down solemnly, "...Maybe you should take your friends and get out of here before things get bad."

"...Maybe we will." Sam murmured, before Lucia continued walking away. 

"Are we almost ready to go?" Victor asked impatiently as John handed him a gun.

"Should be almost ready. John, how's everyone on weapons and ammo?" Deborah turned and asked.

"Everyone's got a gun now. Along with a few extra clips of ammo in case they gotta reload." John informed her as he handed guns to Evan, Eugene, and Marco, the last people waiting.

"Come ON already! Let's get this fuckin' show on the road. I got a couple people's heads I wanna pop." Jeanette scoffed.

"Calm down, hothead. We're almost done here." Deborah remarked with a sour frown as Jeanette just rolled her eyes.

"Everyone, may I have your attention?" William declared loudly as he stood in front of the crowd of people. Everyone stopped and looked at him.

Sam stopped just behind the crowd and listened.

"Today's going to be tough for many of us. Today, we're going to be leaving the safety of our walls, and putting our lives on the line... but it's all to make this place safer! The people we must... get rid of, are holding my son and one of his friends as captives. They are bloodthirsty people that threatened to hurt both of them. We'll take them by surprise and wipe them out in one clean swoop." William spoke.

"But... what if some of us don't make it back?" Evan raised a hand and asked worriedly.

William approached the man and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Then we will thank those we lose. For their honorable sacrifice in making our home a safer place to live." William smiled.

The crowd began to cheer at William's small speech.

"Mr. Robinson." Kelsey slowly approached him, Sara, Ren, and Annie in tow.

"Yes?" William turned to her.

"I would like to volunteer to... stay behind." Kelsey blinked, "Not-Not because I don't want to fight, but with Shawn... gone, and Carter, too, the wall could use more guards. John taught me well with a gun. I can help protect this place."

"It's true." Ren stated with a nod, "Kelsey's proven that she's capable."

"And she's honoring my friend." Annie smiled, with a hint of sadness behind it, "Please let her join us."

William contemplated for a moment, then nodded.

"Thank you for your service, ma'am." William said.

"Thank you." Kelsey let out a small laugh, "And, I hope everything... goes well for you and the others."

Kelsey, Annie, Sara, and Ren left the area as William turned back to the others. Sam took this opportunity to briskly walk away. She picked up her pace when she reached a secluded corner of the community. Just as she turned to go around the house at the corner to their original hang out spot, she runs directly into someone.

"Ow! Shit!" Sam cried as both her and Max collided and fell in the grass.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Max apologized as he helped her up.

"Max? Why the hell'd you whip around the corner so fast?" Sam raised an eyebrow and rubbed her forehead.

"Audrey said she heard someone coming. I-I was gonna run interference while the others got our escape route ready." Max explained.

"Hang on, escape route?" Sam paused.

"Come on." Max waved her along.

The two of them rounded the side of the house, where Audrey, Jace, and George were standing near a removed panel in the metal wall.

"Guys, she's here. Let's go!" Max whispered sharply as they approached.

"Sam! Thank god!" Audrey launched her arms around the shorter girl.

"Max is right. Now that we're all here, we should go before someone sees us." Jace said with urgence.

"I doubt anyone would. Everyone's over near the main gate listening to William spout more bullshit." Sam side eyed in the direction of the gate.

"Still, we should get going. William might notice some supplies and weapons are missing when he checks." George said.

"...Where are we gonna go?" Sam asked.

"We'll find somewhere, we just can't stay here any longer. With William as a corrupt leader and Deborah silencing those against him through MURDER, this place is far from safe." George reminded her.

"Are we going or not? Seriously, let's move!" Audrey began to shove Max and Jace toward the hole in the wall.

"Wait." Sam suddenly stopped, with the others turning to her, "I'm gonna stay."

"What?!" Jace exclaimed.

"Sam... y-you can't!" Max pleaded.

"Someone has to. We still want to make sure Bryan and Lorenzo are okay." Sam took a step back.

"And if you come with us, WE'LL make sure they're safe! We can head for that school!" Audrey offered.

"But we wouldn't be sure if we'd get there in time. Before William." Sam countered, "If I stay... I can get Bryan and Lorenzo out of there."

"I-Isn't that rather dangerous?" George wondered.

"It's a risk I'm willing to take. You found me in the middle of a herd, remember?" Sam looked to the man with a small smile.

"That I did..." George nodded in agreement.

"Now go. I'll make excuses for you if William asks, but GO." Sam pushed Audrey toward the exit.

"Sam..." Audrey was about to cry.

"Go." Sam repeated, also on the verge of tears.

Without another word, Audrey turned and slipped through the hole. Max and George picked up the two identical large backpacks filled with supplies as Jace went through next.

"Good luck, young lady." George said as Max slipped through.

"Thank you. I'll do what I can." Sam nodded.

George waved, then he ducked through the hole last. Once he was through, Sam hurried over and moved the metal panel back into its original spot. She could hear the four sets of footsteps walking away. She turned around, wiping away a couple stray tears from her cheeks, and walked back in the direction of the gate. She saw Deborah handling her own gun.

"Excuse me?" Sam waved her hand out as Deborah looked up.

"Yes, honey?" Deborah set down her weapon and looked at her.

Sam breathed in heavily.

"...Is there room for one more?" Sam asked.

"Of course. I'll have John find you a gun and you'll be set." Deborah smiled.

"Thank you." Sam fake smiled, until Deborah walked away. Once she did, her face fell to one of anxiety.

Keith slowly opened his eyes. Screams could be heard from all around him. He tried to move his legs, but a quick glance down showed him that one leg was stuck through a rung of the fallen piece of ladder. At least he could still feel them both.

"EVERYONE INSIDE NOW! GO!" Colleen yelled as she began to open fire on several walkers with her gun.

"Keith's in trouble! He needs help!" Romelle pointed in his direction.

"Keith?! KEITH!!!" Shiro screamed over the horde of growling walkers.

"I SEE HIM!" Allura shouted, "Under the guard tower!"

"I'll get him! Get inside!" Romelle declared as she ran ahead of Shiro and everyone else.

"Romelle, NO!" Allura tried to grab her arm and stop her, but Matt stopped her instead.

"She'll be okay! Right now we need to make sure everyone is okay!" Matt reminded her.

Ryan stabbed a walker in the head, followed by repeating the action with a second walker. Windy jumped in next to him, with Avery, Rizavi, and Marco there as well. Windy thrust their knife hand through the face of a walker, as Rizavi and Marco each began stabbing oncoming walkers as well.

"Works like a charm!" Windy grinned.

"Glad you like it!" Ryan smiled as he beat down a walker.

"Focus people! Lives are on the line!" Avery scoffed at the two as he sliced into a walker's forehead.

"Yes, Dad." Windy grumbled sarcastically as they swung their blade through two more walker heads.

Jade, Grace, Shay, Star, and Lukas were backed against the wall of the school nearby.

"G-Grace!" Lukas cried as he hugged her side.

"Stay calm! We'll be okay!" Jade shouted as she fired her gun, shooting down a few walkers in a row.

Star raised her gun as well and fired several shots off. Most of them went through the skulls of walkers, to which Star grinned.

"Looks like my training paid off!" Star smirked as she continued shooting.

"Proud of you, sis, but stay focused!" Shay replied as she shoved a walker back and stabbed in the head.

"Shit, we're getting boxed in! Back up!" Grace warned, shoving Lukas behind her.

Rizavi looked over in their direction.

"Dammit! Cover me, I'm gonna get them inside!" Rizavi turned to Marco and Ryan.

"Gotcha! Go!" Marco nodded.

Marco shot a walker in the face as Rizavi ran over. Just as Grace used her final bullet in her gun, Rizavi yelled and jumped onto a walker, where she stomped its brain in.

"Go behind me and get inside!" Rizavi ordered.

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Star commented as she ran away, followed by Shay, Jade, and Lukas.

"Nadia, come on!" Grace urged.

"GO!" Rizavi growled, then turned to the walkers, "Come get some..."

Rizavi ducked as a walker charged her, then she stood up straight and swung a walker around, before stabbing it in the head. She flung the corpse into some walkers, who fell down on their backs. Rizavi stabbed a walker up through its chin as the walker from before turned around and came back for her. Rizavi grabbed it by the face and swung its head into the wall behind her, over and over. A walker grabbed onto her back, only for her to elbow it in the face and send it to the ground, where she stomped its head in as well. She plunged her knife through the abdomen of a walker and shoved it back, where she then stabbed it the head.

A walker from the side grabbed her arm and leaned in to bite it, when it was yanked away. Grace stabbed it in the side of the head and dropped the body.

"I made a promise that no one is dying today! Come on!" Grace extended her hand to Rizavi, who quickly took it as the former pulled her away just as a cluster of walkers surrounded the area.

The two girls met up with their other parties, and they all raced up to the doors, where Shiro and Adam were waiting. Off to the side, Jake, Curtis, and Marcus were fighting back walkers.

"Keep 'em back, y'all!" Jake grunted as he shot a walker in the head.

"Doing our best!" Curtis responded, holding a walker back as Marcus drove his knife into its head.

Just then, several walkers are gunned down. The three men look over to see Colleen and Matt firing.

"Come on!" Matt called out.

"DAD, PLEASE!" Hunk screamed from the doorway.

Marcus looked at his son, then pulled at Jake's arm.

"We can't fight them on our own." Marcus said.

"Then the hell are we doing? Go!" Jake ushered Marcus and Curtis ahead on him as they ran up the steps and inside the school.

Right behind them was Luis and Nancy, the former of whom was carrying Nadia in his arms. From the doorway, Silvio appeared, gun in hand. He saw a walker coming around the side toward his father, so with a quick aim and a few seconds of hesitation, Silvio shot. The walker fell dead, just beside his family.

"I-I hit it...!" Silvio murmured to himself.

"Thank you, _mijo_ , now get inside!" Luis shoved him and Nancy through the doors.

"Is everyone in?!" Pidge turned to Shiro.

"NO! Keith's still out there!" Shiro said.

"So are Allura and Romelle, they're trying to get to him!" Colleen pointed out.

"Shit, they're exposed. Give them cover! We'll wait for you!" Adam ordered.

"On it!" Colleen rushed over in their direction.

Off to the side of the school, a few walkers had backed Jonas into a wall.

"Motherfuckers..." Jonas sneered.

Before they could attack, Erik suddenly leaped out and stabbed one in the head. He pulled out his gun and shot two more.

"Jonas, come on!" Erik shouted.

Jonas saw the sea of walkers behind Erik, and instead lunged forward. He swiped Erik's knife and slashed him across the heel, causing him to fall to the ground, screaming in pain.

"WHAT-- WHAT THE FUCK?!?!" Erik screamed as Jonas backed away. Seconds later, the frontmost walkers knelt down and began biting into his arms and torso.

Jonas watched as several walkers crowded around the teen and knelt down. He noticed an opening to get away around the back of the oncoming walkers. Ignoring Erik's dying screams of agony, Jonas slipped past the walkers and ran for the main doors of the school. Once he got there, he was met with Spencer.

"Where... Where's Erik?!" Spencer asked.

Jonas said nothing, simply shaking his head. Spencer gulped. Still in the courtyard, Allura shot as many walkers as she could. She could see Romelle stabbing and shooting her way through the horde. Just then, a dozen walkers were mowed down by Colleen, who ran up beside Allura.

"We don't have much time!" Colleen warned, "Romelle better hurry!"

Romelle raced past the walkers, ducking under some. One grabbed her arm, but a quick powerful knife slash severed the walker's wrist and she kept running. The undead Harry was the next walker to lunge in her direction. Romelle cocked her gun and pointed it at him. As she did, flashes of Lisa being shot in the head played through her mind. She blinked and focused again, before shooting walker Harry in the head. She could see Keith lying just next to the guard tower, trying to wriggle his way out of his entanglement in the ladder.

Romelle swung her knife into another walker's head.

Flashes of Rachel being bitten on her neck flowed through her mind.

She kicked a walker in the stomach.

Memories of Olivia closing the outer gate of the Galaxy Garrison came back to her.

Romelle let out a cry as she sliced open a walker's throat, before driving the knife into its eye.

Coran appeared in her mind, the memory of him lying on the road, bleeding out from a gunshot wound, her holding onto his hand until he drew his last breath.

"ROMELLE, YOU HAVE TO HURRY!" Allura screamed.

Romelle finally snapped into focus. She turned, seeing Allura and Colleen fighting back as many walkers as they could. A sharp cry caught her attention. Keith had freed himself from the ladder, but was now sprawled on the ground, clutching his ankle.

"KEITH!" James called from above in the tower.

"I've got him!" Romelle shouted back as she charged the three walkers advancing in his direction.

As Keith scooted backwards, all three walkers were shot in the back of their heads. Romelle lowered the gun and ran over to his side.

"Are you hurt?!" Romelle questioned as she hoisted him up and wrapped his arm over her shoulder.

"Nothing broken. Just, m-my ankle hurts. FUCK!" Keith grimaced.

"Don't worry, we'll get you inside! I'm not letting anyone else I care about die." Romelle assured as she began limping forward alongside him.

"She's got him! She's got him!!" Allura informed the others, "ROMELLE!"

"We... We're coming!" Romelle panted as she picked up her pace. As they ran, walkers around them were sniped in their heads.

James aimed the rifle and shot down as many walkers as possible. After he'd taken down just under two dozen walkers, the gun clicked.

"I'M OUT!" James yelled to them.

"Shit... we're on our own, Keithy." Romelle hissed through gritted teeth.

"We'll make it... we will." Keith panted.

Colleen's gun suddenly stopped firing as well. She gasped and pulled the trigger a few extra times.

"Dammit! I'm out, too! Allura!" Colleen barked.

"Mom, get out of there!" Matt exclaimed as Pidge squeezed his hand.

"NO! I can't go yet!" Allura pleaded as Colleen tried to pull her away.

Romelle and Keith neared Allura, when walkers cut into their path, causing them to stop in their tracks.

"Shit shit shit!" Keith cried.

From the doors, the others watched.

"They're getting boxed in!" Maddie began biting her nails nervously.

"Wh-- can't we help?!" Windy took a step forward.

"We wouldn't reach them in time, all our ammo is back in our armory, and there's too many walkers!" Lance explained.

"Please, Romelle! You can make it!" Allura started to cry, "You can MAKE IT!!!"

Romelle's eyes darted around the courtyard. At last, she saw their salvation.

"Just go! We'll be okay!!" Romelle called out.

"But you--!" Allura tried to say back.

"I SAID GO, 'LURA!" Romelle snapped.

Allura let out a choked sob as she let Colleen lead her away from the walkers and up toward the doors to safety. Romelle then turned with Keith and made a beeline for her destination; an outside storage closet. Only a few walkers were in their path, so Romelle made quick work of them with the last remaining bullets in her gun, until she only had one left. She reached the door to the storage closet and flung it open. Keith limped inside and collapsed on the ground. Just as Romelle got inside, a walker followed her in and grabbed onto her arm.

"NO! FUCK YOU!" Romelle screamed as she wrestled back the walker.

Keith, from the ground, kicked the walker in the shin, giving Romelle the chance to ready her gun. She tried to aim the gun, but the walker grabbed at her again. Keith crawled his way over to the door, and with a last burst of strength, he swung it shut before any more walkers could join them.

Romelle grunted as the walker kept pushing her back. She suddenly raised her gun, placing the barrel into the walker's mouth. All in one sudden instance, the walker pushed back hard enough to send Romelle crashing into the back wall of the storage closet. Right as her head slammed into the brick wall, she fired the gun. The room illuminated for only a second with the flash. Both Romelle and the walker slumped to the floor. Romelle squeezed her eyes shut as the pain in her head set in. Keith crawled his way over.

"R-Romelle, shit... are you okay?!" Keith asked.

"A-Aah... jeez..." Romelle put two fingers to the back of her head. When she rubbed them together, she felt something wet and sticky.

"You're bleeding?" Keith whispered worriedly.

"...S'okay. We made it... we made it..." Romelle took deep breaths as both her and Keith fell still, finally getting a chance to rest.

Outside, Allura shot a walker point blank in the head as Colleen pulled her up the stairs.

"Block the doors, NOW!" Adam yelled as everyone ran inside.

"Already on it!" Jade called from down the hallway, her, Shay, and Grace all working together to push a huge dresser down the hall toward the doors.

Shiro and Adam held them shut until the dresser go close enough to take their places. Once it was in place, everyone untensed. Bryan began to sofly cry into Lorenzo's shoulder.

"It's okay... we're gonna be okay..." Lorenzo quietly soothed.

"Is... Is everyone okay? Did we all make it?" Shiro asked.

"Where the hell is Tara?" Damien looked around at everyone.

"I-I didn't see her anywhere out there." Rizavi answered, "Maybe she was already inside?"

"God, I hope so..." Damien looked down.

"What about Erik? The quiet boy?" Shay spoke up.

"Dead." Jonas said matter of factly, "Walkers got him. He... saved my life."

"Fuck me... fuck!" Avery placed his head against the wall at the knowledge.

"I think he invested in the wrong charity if you catch my meaning." Allura crossed her arms.

"Enough!" Colleen boomed.

"James?" Ryan inquired.

"He's up in the guard tower by the gate. The ladder was broken so he couldn't get down. He's still up there, but I don't know how stable the tower is..." Allura said, "He helped Romelle and Keith get to safety.

"Keith? You saw where they went?" Shiro asked urgently, "Do you know if they're safe?"

"I-I think so. Romelle had a plan when she told me to go. I at least hope they made it..." Allura wiped away a few welled up tears as Veronica rubbed her back in comfort.

"They made it, okay? They had to. I heard shots from around the school." Veronica reassured.

"Where were they even going?" Hunk wondered.

"I memorized this school's layout at some point during all this." Jade suddenly spoke up, " And, if I'm right, they made it to a storage closet outside on the side of the building."

"Please be okay, Romelle..." Allura whispered.

"Okay, that's everyone... accounted for." Adam eyed the survivors, all standing together, "Now what?"

Outside, up in the guard tower, James held onto the side of the wall for security. The tower creaked uneasily, causing him to clutch the wall tighter. He looked up, seeing just how many walkers were filling the courtyard. There had to be hundreds.

"Holy shit..." James muttered as he shook his head in disbelief.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> allura and romelle finally being stars of a chapter do we love to see it? yes we do <3


	8. Entropy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group fights for their home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> halfway done with this book already? dang!

Sam was sitting against the wall inside Plaht City. Her head was leaned back against the metal. All around her, people were lining up and getting into several cars and trucks, ready to drive off. They all looked like soldiers.

"Hey, got any more ammo?" Marco asked Freddie.

"Of course. Take some." Freddie handed him an additional rifle magazine.

While Sam aimlessly stared at the crowd of people, Victor, Eugene, and Miles walked over to her.

"Somethin' the matter, little lady?" Miles asked.

"You look upset." Eugene noted.

"I'm fine... I'm just worried about my friends." Sam looked down.

"Don't worry, we're gonna get Bill's kid and his pal back real soon." Eugene nodded.

"And you're gonna be helping with that." Miles added.

Sam nodded wordlessly, having really been talking about Audrey and the others. Deborah then walked over, with John behind her.

"Good news. We were able to find an extra gun for you." John pulled out a pistol and extended it out to her.

Sam hesitated, and Victor rolled his eyes.

"Are you with us or not, kid?" Victor scoffed.

"Leave her alone. You'd be nervous, too." Deborah pushed him back.

Sam took the gun and stood up. William climbed into the front truck.

"Levi, are you ready?" William called out the window.

"Yes, sir!" Levi answered.

"Let's go!" William signaled his hand out the window.

"Sam! Hey, you can ride with us." Luna called out to Sam, who walked along the row of cars. She approached her and Layla's vehicle.

"Uh, thanks." Sam smiled awkwardly.

"Don't be nervous. We'll be okay. If we take these people by surprise, we won't lose a single person." Layla assured.

"...But we'd be killing them. Probably innocent people..." Sam murmured.

"...Try not to think of that. We're doing a good thing." Layla opened the back door.

"Fuck yeah we are. I'm gonna find out who killed Carter and take them out myself." Luna scowled as she walked around to the passenger door.

Layla and Sam both got into the vehicle. William looked out the car window and whistled up to the guard post. Annie and Kelsey were up top. With a nod, Kelsey opened the gate.

"Should we be worried about who won't make it back?" Annie wondered aloud.

"I'm more worried about who WILL." Kelsey sighed.

The two women watched as the cars began exiting the community.

Inside the surrounded boarding school, Pidge and the group stood around the main hallway.

"So? Is anyone gonna say something?" Adam repeated, "What now?"

"We're surrounded by walkers. Give people a minute." Pidge glared.

"Yeah, we're surrounded! We need IDEAS on how to get OUT!" Adam exclaimed.

"Stop shouting! We can't make too much noise or else they might break through." Marco hissed.

"Yeah, yeah, he's right. Keep our voices down and don't make loud sounds and they might move away from the door." Veronica nodded.

"We can't just rely on waiting this out." Windy shook their head, "We're sitting ducks in here."

"I hate to break it everyone, but we're kind of short of any other options." Rizavi spoke up.

"What if we just made a stand? Fought back against them?" Nancy suggested.

"In this shape? We already lost someone, and three more of us are trapped out there." Avery countered.

"What if I went up to the roof? Sniped at the walkers?" Colleen offered.

"I could help, too." Marco agreed.

"In theory it would work, but you'd run out of ammo, and we definitely don't have enough rifle ammo for you to kill every single walker." Shiro disagreed.

"Like I said. Sounds like we have no CHOICE but to sit and wait." Rizavi crossed her arms.

"This is fucking hopeless..." Jonas groaned.

Allura stormed over to him and poked him in the chest.

"I don't want to hear one snide remark from your mouth until all of this is fucking over. So help me I will stab you if I do." Allura pulled out her machete.

"Allura, hey, calm down..." Jade stepped between the two, and pushed her arm down. Then she turned to Jonas, "But she's right. Keep your comments to yourself."

"Okay, so we've gone through all these ideas, but none of them can work. Anything else?" Adam continued.

"What if... What if someone was able to get to a car? Lead them away?" Curtis asked.

"...It sounds possible." Lance nodded.

"Whoever did it would have to be fast as HELL." Jake said.

"And agile. No way could I dodge all those dead." Luis shook his head.

"I can't drive, so don't look at me." Pidge immediately took a step back.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on! This plan is basically sacrificing someone!" Shay protested.

"I just don't think anyone, no matter the speed, could make it through a herd that size." Ryan sighed.

"Well WHAT then?! Fuck! We aren't just going to wait around in here until we die!" Adam threw his hands up in the air.

"...Maybe it could work." Grace suddenly spoke.

"Huh?" Jade turned to her.

"Remember? Near the start we looted that police station in town. We've got some bulletproof vests and all that. I stored it away in a storage closet near the back of the school." Grace revealed.

Jonas' body tensed.

"For real?" Lorenzo perked up.

"Yep. I can take some people with me, we can gear up, and maybe the vest can protect us if we run for a car." Grace replied.

"B-But would that work?" Jonas piped up.

"What did I say?" Allura glared.

"I swear, I'm JUST asking. Nothing but a vest on your front. That wouldn't protect your back or your arms, or legs. It's still too much of a risk!" Jonas held his hands up.

"...He may have a point." Lorenzo pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Well I'm willing to take this risk. Anyone else who is come with me." Grace turned and began walking away.

"I'm going with her." Matt stated.

Pidge gulped, but nodded.

"O-Okay..." Pidge said.

"The rest of us should check on the interior of the school, make sure we don't have a breach like last time." Shiro instructed.

"I'll stay here and keep watch on the doors." Pidge offered.

"I-I'll help, too." Bryan walked over.

"Are you sure?" Pidge raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. It's about time I pulled my weight around here." Bryan nodded.

"Alright, then. Be safe you two. We'll be around, just come find us if you need help." Shiro walked away with Adam.

"Good luck, Pidgey." Lance gave her a small nod.

"I'll stay close if you need me, okay?" Hunk kissed her on the cheek.

Soon, the main hallway was empty, except for Pidge and Bryan, the latter of which was clutching their gun, safety on, in their hand.

"Hey, relax, this is nothing we can't handle." Pidge assured them.

"I'm just worried I'll fuck something up." Bryan leaned their head back.

"How so?" Pidge tilted hers.

"I've killed biters before, you know that. Just... my parents needlessly sheltered me this whole time. Even when I TOLD them I wanted to learn to defend myself. Lorenzo had been taking me out in secret to show me how. My mom basically manipulated me into thinking I was helpless for months. It's when I got closer with my friends in Plaht City that I realized I was more than that. Now that voice in the back of my head is just always there, telling me I'm going to get someone killed again, like Carter..." Bryan vented.

"That whole situation was just... fucked." Pidge huffed.

"Out of all people, it was him. Someone like him didn't deserve to die like that. And I caused it." Bryan looked down.

"You didn't. Your piece of shit father did. No offense." Pidge grimaced.

"None taken. He IS a piece of shit. And for a while I thought my mom was okay, but... she's just as bad." Bryan said.

"Well you're here now. You don't have to think about them anymore." Pidge offered them a smile.

Bryan returned it.

Down one of the halls, Marco, Luis, Silvio, and Nadia were walking.

"Daddy, can't we help?" Silvio protested.

"No, you and your sister are going to your room until the walkers are gone." Luis stated firmly.

"But... I killed one out there! I SAVED you!" Silvio insisted.

"A-And I'm getting better! I wanna help you kill the monsters!" Nadia agreed.

"You're still far too young for any of this. You shouldn't even know how to use guns." Luis said solemnly.

"But we can now!" Nadia cried.

"...Okay, if you want to help, help me and tío Marco check this hallway for monsters." Luis relented with a deep sigh.

"Thank you!" Silvio cheered with a toothy grin, "We'll do good! We promise!"

"Yeah!" Nadia giggled.

"It's the right choice." Marco said to his older brother in a low voice, "They need to know how to protect themselves outside of the training."

"I know. I just don't want to see them like this. They're supposed to be my children, not having to worry about fending for themselves or using weapons." Luis replied.

"It'll get easier to deal with over time. Soon they might even be protecting you. Or one of us." Marco smiled.

"I hope so. One day." Luis agreed.

Romelle rested her head against the wall of the closet. Beside her, Keith was on his side, seemingly passed out. The only light getting into the room was from a small window above the door. Romelle put a hand behind her head again, and pulled back. Still more blood.

"Shit..." Romelle whispered.

She blinked slowly, then shook her head rapidly when her vision blurred for a split second.

"Well, you don't look so good." A vaguely familiar voice said from the darkness.

"What..." Romelle lifted her head.

A teenage boy stepped out from the shadows. Romelle nearly shouted out his name.

"Br... Brandon." Romelle murmured, wincing at her head wound as she tried to sit up straighter.

"Missed me, huh?" Brandon offered a small smile as he knelt down, to which Romelle lurched forward and wrapped her arms over her younger brother's shoulders. When she pulled back, she twirled some of his brown locks in her hand.

"B-But you... you--" Romelle felt tears coming.

"I know. Mom couldn't deal with this... world, and she came back to bite me. Literally, heh..." Brandon chuckled.

"I tried... I-I wanted to help you." Romelle whimpered.

"You did, I know you did. But I was bitten. It was out of our control. I'm just happy you did it for me... because I know I couldn't have. I was too scared to." Brandon looked down.

"I had to. I couldn't just leave you, that's not-- that would've been cruel." Romelle cupped his face.

"And you didn't. That's why you need to know that you're strong for others. You think you're not, and that you lose people around you all the time but you DON'T, Romelle. Think. You've saved Allura, you saved Keith, you saved EVERYONE, or at least assisted in it, when those walkers got in. Heck, your friend Hunk even told you this. You're better than you think you are." Brandon held his sister's shoulders.

Tears were falling down her face now. Romelle looked back up to meet his eyes.

"Why couldn't you be this good at pep talks when you were alive." Romelle joked.

"I guess it's 'cause all I was good at was playing video games." Brandon laughed.

The two siblings shared a moment of laughter, before Romelle's face softened.

"I love you, Brandon." Romelle whispered.

"I love you, too, Romelle." Brandon held onto her shoulders again, "Romelle."

"Wh-What?" Romelle raised an eyebrow.

"Romelle." Brandon repeated. This time he shook her.

"B-Brandon, what--!" Romelle started to squirm.

"Romelle! ROMELLE!" Brandon started to yell.

Romelle shut her eyes and squeezed them closed.

"ROMELLE!" Keith's voice cut into her head and made her eyes snap open. His hands were on her shoulders.

She placed a hand on her chest and took several deep breaths.

"You-You fell asleep. Since you might have a concussion from hitting the wall, i-it's not good to do that. Sorry for scaring you." Keith explained.

"...It's okay. Shit, I hope we can make it in so 'Lura can check it out." Romelle muttered.

Keith reached around behind Romelle's head.

"Looks like your bleeding has gone down a lot, so at least it doesn't seem like you'll bleed out." Keith noted.

"Okay, that's good, at least." Romelle huffed.

"So... did you happen to dream us a way to get inside without becoming the herd's next meal?" Keith questioned.

"No... but I think we could figure something out..." Romelle looked around the dark room, until her eyes fell upon the walker corpse she'd killed.

"I'd put that thing outside, but I don't wanna risk more getting it. Holy shit, it stinks." Keith gagged.

"...It does." Romelle slowly smiled.

Grace was leading a small group of people through the school toward the closet where her supplies were mentioned. Colleen and Matt were walking beside her.

"So, what else is in this closet?" Matt asked, "Besides the protective stuff."

"Um... would it be bad of me to say I don't exactly remember?" Grace chuckled awkwardly.

"You put the stuff in and yet you don't remember?" Colleen quirked an eyebrow.

"In my defense, it was months ago, and I kinda kept the stuff locked down so certain people didn't get their hands on it." Grace said.

"I helped put some stuff in. And I know what you mean." Jade added, tilting her head in Jonas' direction, who was walking near the back with Spencer.

"What could be so bad that's in there?" Matt wondered.

"Well, if my memory isn't failing me, when we raided that police station, not only did we get the vests, but we got a few big guns. Assault rifles, a sniper or two, maybe a dozen handguns. Oh, and a ton of ammo." Jade revealed.

"Holy shit! And you guys just had this lying around the whole time?" Colleen asked incredulously.

"We kinda lost the supply for a while. You know, when biters broke in and overran the interior." Grace continued, "Thank you for helping us with that."

"No problem, really." Matt smiled.

"It's just up ahead."Grace turned and called to everyone following.

They came to the corner of the hallway, and Grace stopped in front of a run down door on the right side of the hall.

"Okay, when I get this open, I want everyone to grab a gun and some ammo. I know they aren't our best choice of weapon right now but it's better to be safe." Grace instructs.

"Gotcha." Damien nodded, "Hey, how come you never told ME about this stuff?"

"Because you have a blabbermouth." Grace rolled her eyes with a smile.

"...True, but it still hurts." Damien whined.

Grace began to fiddle with the door, pulling on it roughly.

"This damn door always stuck." Grace groaned.

"Be careful opening that door." Jonas warned.

"Why? Is there gonna be a biter in there?" Allura spat.

At last, Grace pulled on the doorknob hard enough to swing it open. Then she screamed. So did everyone else.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!?!" Matt screamed.

Tara's dead body slumped out into the hallway. Blood had dried around her neck and head.

"TARA!!!" Shay screamed as she knelt down by her body.

"What the FUCK happened to her?!" Jake exclaimed.

"She... She got stabbed." Shay brushed her fingers over the wound in her neck, "S-Someone KILLED her!"

"What?!" Star gasped.

"Who... Who would DO this?!" Adam scowled to himself.

Spencer looked up at Jonas, fear plain in his eyes. Jonas grinded his teeth together and shook his head discreetly. Allura watched him out of the corner of her eye.

"Th-They stabbed her in the neck...she fucking choked to death on her blood." Ryan covered his mouth.

Spencer took a step forward from behind Grace. Jonas glared at him hard, mouthing the word "stop". Spencer responded by looking away.

"What do we do about this? Someone here is a fucking MURDERER." Lance looked around at everybody.

"...Okay, fuck. F-First we gotta line up everyone and question them--" Grace began.

"JONAS KILLED HER!" Spencer blurted out.

Everyone froze in place and turned to the tall teen. Spencer took a step back.

"...He did?" Windy spoke.

"Y-Yes. M-Me, him, Erik, T-Tara... Jonas recruited us to help him stage a coup... kill you." Spencer nodded to Grace, "T-Tara tried to tell me he was being stupid, and I didn't listen. Today she confronted him. Sh-She was about to go tell you and he... he stabbed her. Killed her. It was HIM!"

"And you didn't think to STOP HIM?!" Veronica interrogated.

"He would've killed me, too! I-I was afraid. He said if we decided to expose him he'd kill us." Spencer watched as Jonas' face went red out of pure anger.

"How do we know he isn't just lying to save his own skin?" Colleen pointed out.

"He's telling the truth." Damien suddenly stepped in front of Spencer, "Jonas tried to get me to join him. I threatened to tell, and he told me if I did he'd hunt me down and kill me."

Grace looked in shock from Spencer, to Damien, to Jonas, then back to Spencer.

"I-I'm so sorry, Grace. I-I never wanted to kill you. I never thought he'd really go that far." Spencer started to cry, "I was wrong to side with him."

Everyone now turned to Jonas. The furious teenager trained his eyes down, then he looked up after standing still for a few seconds.

"I should've fucking killed you BOTH." Jonas sneered, before he lunged at Spencer.

"FUCK!" Spencer ducked back, but Jonas was slammed off to the side by Jade.

"You fucking bitch!" Jonas exclaimed, "I'm fucking killing all of you!"

Jonas stood and threw a punch in Grace's direction. She ducked, but Jonas clawed at her cheek with his other hand, landing the hit. Grace let out a cry of pain as Jonas scratched her across the face.

"HEY!" Matt pulled Jonas by the shoulders away from Grace, causing Jonas to turn and punch him across the face.

"Stop fucking fighting!" Shiro demanded as he pulled Jonas off.

"Fuck you! You-- You and Grace are gonna get everyone KILLED if you keep leading. I'm trying to SAVE everyone." Jonas shouted.

He bent down and elbowed Shiro in the crotch, which allowed him to break from his hold. Adam held onto Shiro so he didn't fall over as Jonas tried to go back to attacking Grace. However, Matt grabbed him by the arm and spun him around, where he raised a knife.

"Matt, put the knife down! Now!" Colleen ordered.

Matt sliced at Jonas, but he moved out of the way.

"Oh, are we playing with the big boy toys now?" Jonas taunted, pulling out his own knife, "This'll be fun."

Jonas lunged for Matt and tried to drive his knife into his chest.

"NO, STOP!" Hunk shouted as he tried to intervene.

A quick swipe from Jonas' knife made him stumble back, luckily unscathed. Marcus caught him before he fell back.

"Drop the knife!" Matt grunted.

Jonas slammed Matt against the wall.

"Fuck... YOU!" Jonas reeled back to be able to stab, but before he could, Matt kicked him in the stomach.

Jonas was sent sprawling backwards. To catch his balance, he swerved his body around the opposite way and tripped forward.

Straight into the blade of Allura's machete.

Jonas froze instantly, as did everyone else. Allura watched blood trickle down her machete and drip off down onto the floor. She turned and stared directly into Jonas' eyes, only now they were filled with pure fear.

"F-Fuck... please... p-please..." Jonas rasped as a little bit of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth.

Allura stared, silent. Until she let out a cry and thrusted her machete in further. The tip of it bursted through his back as he let out a strained moan, before he went limp. Allura let his body slump off of her weapon down to the ground, before she flung off some leftover blood still on the machete.

"...Holy shit." Curtis breathed.

"A-Allura, you... you--" Hunk felt his hands start to shake.

"I know. He had it coming." Allura glared down at his body.

"H-He... He also led the walkers here." Spencer revealed.

"Oh, you've gotta be fucking kidding me." Adam turned away and put his hands on his head.

"That's when Tara finally had enough. Fuck, I should've listened to her!" Spencer sobbed.

"Well then he deserved what he got tenfold. Period." Rizavi also looked down at the body with little emotion.

"What... What do we do about him?" Jade asked Grace, gesturing to Spencer.

"Please, I'm sorry. I swear I never wanted anyone to die. I thought Jonas was my friend, I thought he was trustworthy... h-he lied to me." Spencer pleaded.

Grace walked directly up to Spencer and pulled out her gun.

"...You'll live. You seem genuine about your apology. But if you try anything against ANYONE here, I will kill you myself. Understand?" Grace pointed her gun in his face.

"Y-Yes! Yes! I promise. I owe it to Tara to make up for the shit I went along with..." Spencer nodded frantically.

"Uh, guys... is someone going to take care of... him?" Lorenzo pointed back down at Jonas' body, where blood was still pooling.

"Oh, I can--" Matt started, when a gunshot went off.

Grace lowered her gun after firing. A bullet hole was now present in Jonas' head.

"Okay... that works, too." Lorenzo nodded slowly.

"I'm done giving people the benefit of the doubt." Grace stuck her gun back in her waistband, "It's gotten too many people killed already."

"I can-- I can help move the bodies." Marcus bent down and grabbed Tara's body by the shoulders.

"Here, me too." Rizavi took Tara's legs.

"Matt, help me with him?" Lorenzo went for Jonas' legs.

"Sure." Matt agreed as he took Jonas' shoulders.

The four people went back down the hall with the bodies as everyone else turned their attention back to the closet of supplies.

"...Well, should we start getting stuff?" Avery asked.

"Uh, yeah. Yes." Grace nodded.

"Perfect. Deal me in first." Colleen waited in front as Grace walked in to grab things.

Outside, James was staring down at the sea of walkers below him. His guard tower rocked back and forth a little bit. He cursed under his breath and held onto the side of the wall even tighter.

James grabbed his pistol from his side and examined it. He pulled out the clip and looked inside. Only one bullet remained.

"Fuck..." James muttered.

The nervous feeling in his stomach only worsened as he stared toward the entrance to the school, with at least a thousand walkers between it and him

"Are you completely, absolutely, ONE-HUNDRED percent sure that THIS is going to work?" Keith gestured to his and Romelle's clothes, which were now completely coated in the guts of the walker on the floor.

"...I am fifty percent sure." Romelle replied.

"Romelle..." Keith groaned.

"It's our only option! Think about it! They smell dead, we smell alive. If we smell like them, they won't attack us. We'll have to walk slow, too, but it's gotta work!" Romelle explained again.

"Do we have to growl like them, too?" Keith crossed his arms.

"Don't get smart now. We're in this together." Romelle placed a hand on Keith's shoulder.

Keith smiled, and Romelle turned to face the exit of the closet.

"Okay... Okay. As soon as I open this door, we go. Whatever you do, don't let go of my hand. We need to stick together." Romelle instructed.

"Got it." Keith nodded.

Romelle's hand wrapped around the doorknob. She counted to five in her head. Upon reaching five, her hand twisted the knob slowly. The door creaked open, and the two of them shuffled into the doorway.

"If you have to say something, say it fucking QUIETLY." Romelle whispered.

"No shit, I was gonna yell out to you that I'm terrified." Keith rolled his eyes, "Okay, look... there aren't many walkers over here."

"They must all be near the main entrance." Romelle noted.

"Then let's get there." Keith said.

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!" Pidge exclaimed as Marcus, Rizavi, Matt, and Lorenzo brought Jonas and Tara's bodies to the main hallway. Marco, Luis, Silvio, Nadia, and Lukas were there as well. Everyone else was trailing behind.

"There was a bit of a revelation." Matt began.

"Jonas killed Tara earlier today. We found her body in that closet Grace talked about. On top of that, he lured these walkers here in an attempt to kill us. Most notably Grace, Shiro, and you, since you three are pretty much the main leaders around here. He felt you were getting people killed, and wanted you gone." Lorenzo cut in, explaining the situation.

"Who killed--?" Bryan started to ask.

"I did." Allura answered quickly, "He attacked Grace, then Shiro, then Matt. So I put a stop to his bullshit. For good." Allura scowled.

"Was killing him the best choice?" Marco raised an eyebrow.

"It was a long time coming. Trust me." Grace sighed.

"What are we doing with these bodies?" Bryan asked.

"Well, for now, they're gonna have to be staying right here." Marcus said as he and Rizavi set Tara down next to Jonas.

"There's no way we're burying a fucking killer in our walls." Jade shook her head.

"We buried Elyse, didn't we?" Jake reminded her.

"Elyse... she was just off the deep end. Jonas, he was just a straight up psycho. He's not getting a grave." Jade insisted.

"Works for me. Less digging." Jake relented.

Allura listened to the monotonous moans of the walkers outside, then she looked back at Jonas' body.

"H-Hold on. I think I know just what to do with the body." Allura stepped forward, "Pidge, Bryan, Matt, Lorenzo, take out your guns."

Outside, Romelle led Keith around the side of the school, coming out to the front. Now all of the walkers were in their view.

"Stay calm. Stay quiet." Romelle whispered.

"You don't have to keep telling me." Keith hissed.

"...That time was mainly for me." Romelle said.

The two of them squeezed past clusters of walkers. Keith was careful to conceal the limp he had as much as possible. Romelle could see the doors now. Only problem was the largest group of the walkers was right at the bottom of the steps, coupled with the roughly dozen that were banging on the doors.

On the other side of those doors, Pidge, Matt, Bryan, and Lorenzo were lined up side by side, guns up.

"Okay, Maddie and Avery are going to open the door. You four will shoot any walkers that are right outside. Marcus and Luis will toss Jonas' body outside, and I'll call out for Romelle and Keith to get here." Allura repeated.

"Just so you know, I think this plan is... COMPLETELY insane." Avery said while his hands rested on one of the door handles.

"Don't think about it. If we go fast, it'll be fine." Maddie assured him.

"Okay. On my count. Are you ready?" Allura looked at Marcus and Luis.

"We are." Luis nodded.

"Pidge?" Allura looked to her next.

"Yep. Ready when you are." Pidge confirmed.

"Alright. When I count to three, hit the doors." Allura repeated, "One... two... THREE!"

Outside, Romelle and Keith stopped walking as they reached the back of the congregation blocking the doors.

"How are we gonna push through them all?!" Keith hissed.

"I'll think of something! Stay QUIET." Romelle fired back lowly.

The doors suddenly swung open. Matt, Pidge, Bryan, and Lorenzo all opened fire. The dozen or so walkers in front of them fell backwards and rolled down the stairs.

"GUYS, NOW!" Allura's voice called out.

Marcus and Luis hobbled outside, carrying Jonas' body. Both men reeled back, and chucked the teen's body down into the group of undead. They turned and dashed back in as Allura leaned out.

"ROMELLE?! KEITH?! IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, RUN NOW!" Allura screamed.

From the guard post, James watched in shock.

"What the hell are they doing?!" James wondered to himself.

Romelle backed away from the herd as majority of them crouched down to devour Jonas.

"A-ALLURA!" Romelle shouted, lifting her arms in the air.

Allura followed the sound of the familiar voice, until she saw the blonde waving around.

"COME ON!" Allura waved her in.

"Go! Right there! Go around!" Keith pointed at an opening that now curved around the distracted portion.

"Cover them!" Allura exclaimed as Colleen burst out.

"Already on it!" Colleen raised her rifle and quickly sniped down several walkers.

Romelle pulled Keith along, who limped as fast as he could manage. Once they reached the stairs, Matt was there to take Keith's hand as Romelle pushed him ahead. Colleen shot down three more walkers as Romelle's hand was grabbed by Allura. Both of them were whisked inside as Maddie and Avery slammed the doors shut once again.

"Holy shit..." Maddie breathed with a slight chuckle.

"Keith?! KEITH!" Shiro shoved past everyone upon seeing his brother standing there. In less than a second, he had his arms around him in a vice grip.

"AGH! Sh-Shiro!" Keith choked.

"Sorry. I'm so glad you're safe." Shiro couldn't help but smile.

Likewise, Allura couldn't stop herself from crying as she held Romelle in her arms.

"I-I thought-- I was so worried you--" Allura stammered.

"It's okay. I'm okay. We made it." Romelle nodded along as she pressed her lips to Allura's.

"What did you guys use to distract them? It worked like a charm." Keith asked.

"Uh... Jonas' body?" Hunk answered with an awkward chuckle.

"Wh-- Jonas is DEAD?!" Keith leaned forward in shock.

"Who killed him?!" Romelle pressed.

"Me." Allura said slowly, "He killed Tara, too. Tried to kill Grace, attacked Matt. I--"

"You made the right call. He was always a loose cannon." Romelle reassured.

"Yo... why do you guys smell so bad?" Rizavi suddenly plugged her nose as she stepped away from Keith.

"...What is that all over you guys?" Veronica questioned.

"And how were you walking through those walkers without them all attacking you?" Lance added.

"Funny, all of those questions can be answered with the same answer." Romelle said.

"Which is...?" Damien leaned in.

"Well... walker guts?" Romelle shrugged.

There was a chorus of disgusted groans.

"Oh, God." Matt grimaced.

"That's so gross! ...But I kinda wanna try." Windy remarked.

"I-I'm gonna throw up. Oh, dear god I'm gonna throw up." Hunk retched. Pidge patted him on the back.

"Just breathe through it, man." Pidge comforted.

"What POSSESSED you to even think of that?" Adam looked at both of them with a wrinkled nose.

"Simple. They smell dead. We smell alive. We cover ourselves in their smell, they don't notice us." Romelle explained in short.

"How can that WORK?" Lance rubbed some of the guts from Keith's red jacket onto his hand, then quickly flung it off upon feeling the texture.

"Dude, she just said how." Keith squinted.

"Yeah, I know she said HOW. But, like... HOW?" Lance extended his arms.

"I don't know. How did the dead get up and starting killing people?" Keith crossed his arms.

"...Fair point. Proceed." Lance nodded.

"What if we use this tactic to lead the walkers away?" Bryan suggested, "We could walk right THROUGH them and to a car, drive off and take them with us!"

"NO way! It's too risky!" Shay put her arms out.

"I'd be willing to do it." Lance offered.

"LANCE! It-It's suicide!" Nancy shook her head as she grabbed his arm.

"So is sitting in here doing nothing. Look, we've been over this we're not going in circles again." Adam stated.

"...Alright, then. Is this the plan? Officially. Does everyone agree?" Pidge looked around at everyone's mixed reactions.

"I... I really don't like it. I don't want to lose you, _mijo_." Nancy softly caressed Lance's cheek.

"He wouldn't be going alone, _Mamá_. I'll go, too." Luis walked up.

"What kind of mother am I to let you walk into danger like this?" Nancy lightly cried.

"The one that raised all of us right enough to take care of ourselves." Veronica replied, "I'm going with them."

"Marco? You coming, too? Making this a family thing?" Lance looked at his brother.

"Someone has to stay with her." Marco shook his head.

"Is anyone else going along with this plan?" Adam surveyed the group.

Hunk, Keith, Pidge, Colleen, and Grace raise their hands.

"Keith, you're hurt." Shiro immediately stepped in front of him.

"Shiro's right. You should stay in here so I can check on you and Romelle." Allura added, before looking back at Romelle, "If you have a concussion, I'll never forgive myself."

"I don't think I do. My bleeding stopped a little bit ago." Romelle said.

"I'm still going to check you. And you too, Keith. I don't care how little your ankle hurts, I need to check it." Allura said firmly.

"No. Fuck that! James is trapped out there with no way down. I'm making sure he gets down. You can try and stop me." Keith grunted as he pulled himself around Shiro.

"Maddie, Avery, can you get the door again? We're gonna need bodies." Pidge turned to the two of them.

"On it." Avery nodded as both of them grabbed the doors again.

"Hunk, Lance, grab a body. We're gonna need two." Keith instructed as Maddie and Avery opened the doors.

"You guys smell..." Star trailed off.

"Disgusting? Believe me, I know." Lance did his best to keep from gagging as Veronica finished rubbing walker blood on his jacket.

"Once you get into the eye of them, you get used to the smell." Keith grimaced as he put on a fresh coat.

"Here, Vero, I'll do your back." Luis offered.

"Thank you." Veronica turned around as she began spreading blood and guts on her frontside.

Jade and Lukas approached Grace.

"You be fucking careful, you hear me?" Jade leaned in and kissed Grace.

"I will. I swear it." Grace smiled.

"Why do you have to do this?" Lukas looked like he wanted to cry.

Grace knelt down to his level.

"Because I gotta make sure we all get out of here safely. I'm the one who's supposed to protect, remember? I'm going to protect you." Grace stated.

"B-But I don't want you to die!" Lukas protested.

"I don't know for sure if we're all gonna make it. And... if I'm someone who doesn't... promise me that you'll be strong. As much as you can be. Okay?" Grace's eyes welled up with tears.

"Okay. I will." Lukas jumped in and hugged Grace, not caring about the guts, "I love you."

"I love you, too, Luke." Grace murmured.

Marcus finished rubbing blood on Hunk's clothes.

"What they said. Make sure you stay with everyone." Marcus warned.

"I've got this, Dad. Sure, I'm scared out of my mind, but I can do this." Hunk let out a deep breath.

Silvio and Nadia walked up to their father, who was just finishing with Veronica's back.

"D-Don't die!" Nadia sobbed as she hugged his leg.

"Be safe. Please, daddy." Silvio agreed.

"We'll all be fine. I'll make sure of it." Luis wrapped his arms around both of them.

"Everybody ready?" Pidge turned to the group of people with guts across them, "Let's fucking do this."

Matt and Bryan grabbed the doors this time.

"Good luck, guys." Bryan offered up a smile.

"You got your guns?" Matt asked to confirm.

"Sure do." Colleen nodded, proudly holding her rifle.

"Remember. Do NOT fire until we get to a safe area." Keith spoke, "We may smell dead, but if we make noise and draw attention, they'll see right through it."

"Noted." Veronica quietly slipped her gun into her waistband.

"If it comes to it, we can try covering you from here and draw them with gunfire." Marcus said.

"Move slow!" Romelle shouted to them.

Matt and Bryan exchanged a glance, then both looked to Pidge, who nodded.

"Here we go." Pidge muttered.

Matt and Bryan opened the doors, just far enough for one person at a time to walk out. A few walkers were on the stairs, and didn't lunge or attack when Pidge stepped out. Hunk was next. Followed by Colleen, Lance, Keith, Luis, Veronica, and Grace at the back.

"H-Holy crow... it works." Lance breathed out in disbelief.

"Shut. Up." Keith said through clenched teeth.

"I can see the RV. Everyone move in a straight line and we'll get there in no time." Pidge rasped to everyone behind her.

Grace shuffled by Jonas' heavily mutilated body. She glared at it for just a moment, before she kept walking. Colleen and Lance held their rifles down at their sides. Some walkers accidentally bumped into Hunk, and he almost yelped, but quickly covered his mouth. Luis and Veronica each darted their eyes back and forth to keep an eye on the herd. Keith had his sword in hand, as well as a gun tucked around his back in his belt. Once they were halfway between the school and the RV, Keith could properly see James up in the tower, not too far away. Another small wooden beam suddenly snapped off and hit a walker in the head.

"F-Fuck!" James exclaimed. Keith could hear the fear behind the words.

"Shit... it's gonna fucking collapse." Keith muttered.

"Stay focused. We're almost there." Luis murmured.

"He's going to DIE." Keith hissed.

"YOU'LL die if you do anything reckless!" Veronica retorted.

Keith pulled out his gun, and clenched his sword.

"I'm sorry, but I have to do this." Keith then pulled out of line and darted into the crowd of walkers.

"Keith?! Keith, stop!" Veronica cried in a whisper.

"What the hell is he doing?!" Pidge looked back.

Keith pushed through a few walkers, out into a clear area. James' guard post was only thirty or so feet away now. Keith steeled himself and shot two walkers in the head.

"Oh, god!" Hunk whispered.

"HEY! HEY!!!!" Keith screamed.

From the tower, James peeked over the edge.

"Kogane?! What the fuck are you doing?!" James shouted.

"COME ON!!!" Keith shot four walkers clawing at the guard post in the back of their heads. The rest of the pack slowly turned and began making their way toward him. Other walkers from the courtyard set their sights on him as well.

Keith began backing up, shooting walkers as he went. When his back hit a wall, he didn't falter.

"OVER HERE, COME ON." Keith yelled as he banged on the wall with his fist.

"Get to the RV, NOW!" Colleen urged everyone on.

Keith was now completely boxed in. He pointed the gun and shot into the crowd of walkers. One after the other they fell dead to headshots.

"NO! SHIT!" James screamed, "STOP! LOOK OVER HERE!" He began to bang on his own section of the wall.

A walker grabbed Keith, but he shoved it back, before shooting it in the head. He turned and held a walker back with his arm extended. He raised his foot and kicked it back, then swerved and shot a different walker. James pulled out his own gun and aimed it into the herd. He put his finger on the trigger, ready to shoot.

Keith fired a bullet into another walker, and immediately tried for a second, only for no bullet to come. With barely a second's hesitation, Keith lifted the sword and drove it into the walker's chin. The gun in James' hands trembled, and he lowered it. He only had one bullet.

"JAMES!!! CLIMB-- CLIMB DOWN!!!" Keith screamed. "NOW!!!"

"GET YOUR ASS OUT OF THERE, KOGANE!! DON'T DIE ON ME!" James fired back as he attempted to crawl off the side of the guard post and grab onto one of the main legs.

Keith slammed his gun into a walker's head, quickly followed by two precise sword slashes through two separate walkers' heads.

"GO!" Keith yelled between desperate sword swings.

"N-No... No!" James banged his hand on the wooden frame, "PLEASE! OVER HERE!"

The walkers still didn't acknowledge him. A walker rammed Keith against the wall, as dozens more closed in. Keith managed to shove it back, and slump down to the ground. The walkers encircled him.

"KEITH!!! NO!!!" James let out a deafening scream, before lowering his head, "Don't die for me... don't die for me."

A shower of bullets pierced through the air. Bullet holes entered the dozens of walkers surrounding Keith, and all of them fell to the ground, dead.

"Not on my watch, mullet!" Lance declared triumphantly, from the roof of the RV. Colleen was alongside him.

Keith stood up, unable to find the words. He didn't notice a walker coming up beside him. But before it could bite him, a bullet flew through its head. James had his gun aimed, and looked down to Keith.

"Move it, Kogane!" James urged, sticking the now empty gun back in his waistband.

"Come on! Get in here, now!" Colleen called down to him as she and Lance resumed firing into the heads of walkers.

Keith quickly propped himself up, and made a run for the RV, slicing a few walkers on the way. Hunk flung open the door, to which Keith leaped inside. The door was promptly slammed shut behind him.

"Luis, go!" Veronica nodded.

Luis shifted the RV into gear and put his foot on the gas. It slowly crept forward while Lance and Colleen maintained their balance. Upon getting close enough to the guard post, Lance extended his arm.

"Jump!" Lance called.

James didn't hesitate. He stood up straight, and with a small running start, he leaped from the platform, right onto the roof just in front of Lance.

"Holy crow! Nice jump. You okay, though?" Lance helped him stand up.

"I'm-- I'm fine. Is Keith--?" James' eyes widened.

"We'll find out soon enough. From the looks of it we saved his behind just in time." Lance smirked.

Inside the RV, Grace looked ahead through the windshield.

"That's way too many to drive through. The tires are sure to get caught." Grace muttered.

"So, what then?" Pidge quirked a brow.

"...We do what Mr. Kogane here did. We fight them." Veronica said after a brief pause.

"Fucking WHAT?!" Pidge exclaimed.

"You heard me." Veronica deadpanned.

"We've been over this! That's INSANE! And highly unlikely!" Hunk added.

"Not if we all work together. If we can get some kind of formation going, with EVERYONE involved, we can take out this entire herd." Keith said.

"We've got no other cards to play. Plus, if we do nothing, we're trapped in this RV." Luis stood up from the driver's seat, "I say we do it."

"I'm in." Veronica seconded.

"Yeah, same." Grace nodded.

"Fuck yeah." Keith pulled out his sword.

Pidge and Hunk glanced at each other.

"...Do you trust me?" Pidge asked.

"Of course." Hunk nodded instantly, "No matter what."

"Then let's do this. It's not just about how we feel anymore. This is for everyone." Pidge took his hands.

A bead of sweat trickled down Hunk's head. At last, he took a deep breath and huffed out.

"Alright. I'm in." Hunk agreed.

"Lively." Veronica smirked.

"Keith, as soon as we go out, signal Lance, James, and my mom to come down and join us. And NO GUNS. Too much commotion, and we can't afford the time it takes to reload." Pidge instructed.

"Roger that." Grace stuck her gun in her waistband.

"Guns were never my style anyway." Keith smirked.

"Okay. Everybody ready? On my go." Pidge looked at everyone.

They all nodded back.

"...GO!" Pidge yelled as she kicked open the RV door.

Allura wrapped a bandage around the top of Romelle's head.

"You're in luck. No concussion, from the looks of it." Allura sighed out of relief.

"Thanks, 'Lura." Romelle smiled.

"Thank YOU for being such a good patient." Allura laughed quietly, kissing her on the cheek.

"How is it out there? Are they okay?" Matt asked while he paced back and forth.

"You just asked that two minutes ago." Lorenzo said.

"Excuse me for being a little on edge. My whole family is out there!" Matt shouted.

"OKAY, o-okay, let's all relax!" Bryan held their hands out in front of Matt, "It's no good yelling at each other."

"...Right, sorry." Matt put his head down in his hands.

Jade stood near the door, when she tilted her head.

"Jade? Somethin' wrong?" Damien walked up to her.

"No. I thought I heard something." Jade then froze and held up a hand, "SHH! Listen."

Others listened alongside her. From the other side of the door, they heard it.

"COME ON! KEEP GOING!" Pidge's voice carried over to them.

"Is that Pidge?" Ryan stood at attention.

"What's going on? What are they doing?!" Matt raced to the door.

Shiro opened it first and poked his head out. Most walkers were no longer in front of the door, and were now all following each other toward the group of survivors on the other side of the courtyard.

"They're fighting them!" Shiro exclaimed.

"They're WHAT?" Star looked surprised.

"Fighting them? But they could never take them all on alone!" Romelle stood up with worry.

"Exactly." Shiro nodded, "Which is why we're all going out there to help them."

"This is it, people. Grab your weapons and get ready." Avery clapped his hands.

Everyone grabbed a melee weapon that they could find and rallied up behind the door. Nancy stood near the back. Marco ran up to her, holding out a knife.

"We need you for this, Mom. Can you do this? You've done it before." Marco encouraged.

"I-- I can. I can do this." Nancy nodded as she took the knife.

"Good." Marco took out a knife of his own, "And mom? I'm proud of you."

Nancy briefly stopped to caress Marco's cheek.

" _Estoy orgulloso de ti también, mi hijo._ " Nancy smiled.

"Silvio, Nadia, Lukas. Will you three be able to stay inside on your own?" Romelle asked the youngest children.

"We can!" Nadia nodded.

"We're ready for this!" Silvio showed off his gun proudly.

"Be careful. Remember, aim for the head. And if a walker gets in, fire until it's not moving anymore." Romelle quickly refreshed their knowledge.

"Got it." Lukas nodded, "Good luck out there."

"God knows we need it." Adam sighed as he readied his weapon; a hatchet.

"On three." Shiro said, "One... two... three!"

Shiro kicked open the doors, to which he barrelled down the stairs and stabbed a walker in the face. The other survivors poured out from behind him.

"SPREAD OUT! CIRCLE AROUND THEM!" Shiro yelled.

"Don't let 'em break past ya!" Rizavi chanted as she slammed her knife into the base of a walker's skull.

On the other side of the herd, Pidge noticed the other running out of the school.

"They're joining in! We're gonna do this!" Pidge cheered.

"Stay focused!" Colleen reminded as she slammed the butt of her rifle against a walker's head.

Just then, Matt, Jade, Adam, Windy, and Ryan pushed their way through the walkers around the smaller group, lining up alongside them.

"Thought you guys could use a HAND!" Windy shouted, smiling a little at their pun.

"Good one! Now keep pushing them back!" Adam said with a grunt as he brought his hatchet down against a walker.

The group was now evenly spread amongst each other and the walkers. They were all in a circular formation, trapping as many walkers in their ring of killing as possible. Keith impaled a walker through the face, then ducked as one lunged for him. When he stood up straight again, he turned and swiftly decapitated that walker, followed by swinging back and slicing into another one's head.

Pidge stabbed and sliced at several walkers' legs and knees. When they fell forward, she jabbed her knife down into their heads. Beside her, Hunk threw a walker down, stomping on its head. Another approached, and he made quick work of it by stabbing it up through the chin. James grabbed a walker by the shirt, bringing his knife down into its eye.

Blood flew through the air. Bodies collapsed to the ground.

Shiro punched a walker in the face with his metal hand. Adam sliced into a walker's face. Matt took his wooden staff and smacked down a walker with it, before impaling it through the side of the head. Lance whacked a walker to the ground with his rifle, then stabbed another with his knife. Veronica, dual wielding two knives, drove each one into the temple of a walker. Luis beat down a walker with the end of his rifle. Allura used her machete to slice the heads of two walkers off at the same time, following that up by stabbing a third walker straight through the brain. Grace kicked a walker in the knee, before stabbing it three times in the forehead and eye. Jade sliced upwards, into the side of a walker's head, then down again, putting it down. Star kicked walker's knee, then hit it repeatedly over the head with her gun. A second walker appeared, and she shoved it to her right, where Shay quickly dispatched it with a heavy knife stab. Ryan hacked away at several walkers with his own machete. Marcus body slammed a walker back into a few others. It bounced back, to which he held a baseball bat in his grip, and used it to smash in the walker's skull. Windy, armed with a knife in their real hand, used their knife extension on their new metal arm to stab a walker through the head. With the attachment still embedded in its head, they turned and stabbed another walker dead with the other knife, then yanked both of them out. Maddie slashed her knife into the forehead of a walker. She stabbed a second one, and threw a third one back. That walker nearly fell backwards, but it regained its balance. Before it could attack again, Marco chopped its head in half with a fire axe. He let out a cry as he swung it to the side and decapitated a second walker. Next to him, Nancy held up her knife as a walker came for her. She extended it as soon as it became in range. She stabbed it in the chest, then the shoulder, then the neck, then finally she delivered four fatal stabs to its head and face area. Jake stabbed a walker in the head, then ducked, which allowed Curtis to turn and impale it with his own knife. Curtis and Jake then took down one more walker each, stabbing them in the back of their heads repeatedly. Rizavi ducked and weaved as walkers attacked her. As they stumbled behind her, she turned and pistol whipped them all to the ground, where their heads were then crushed beneath her foot. She repeated the process with one more, only for walker blood to splash up into her face. Avery used a sharpened wooden stake to stab a walker over and over in its head until it fell to the ground. Spencer swung his baseball bat, with a spike through it, into the top of a walker's head. He ripped it out and swung again at another walker triumphantly. Damien took his big butcher knife and slit a walker's throat. The blood gushed out, and Damien's face wrinkled at the sight as he stabbed it in the head. Lorenzo used a metal pole to smack a walker across the face, denting its skull and putting it down. A second one approached, and Lorenzo kicked it to the ground, and drove the metal pole right into its forehead. Bryan held a cleaver, and they hacked at several walkers' limbs. They managed to chop off a walker's arm, before they turned and swiped and sliced at the walker's face. Blood also spurted onto them. Romelle panted hard as she turned, stabbing walker after walker. She screamed while she pushed her knife deep through a walker's skull. She ripped it out, and took one powerful roundhouse swing of the knife, slicing through a walker's head and sending it rolling.

Bodies were lying everywhere. Everyone was covered in blood. Members of the group were either standing against the wall of the school, sitting on the ground, or just lying flat on their backs from exhaustion. Every single walker had been slaughtered by the group. Bryan and Rizavi were near the RV, trying to wipe the excessive walker blood from their faces. Nancy was sitting down on the stairs to the main entrance of the school. Luis walked over to her and sat down beside her.

"...Today was something awful." Nancy murmured.

"I know. But we survived. And you helped us. I know you've been training, and trying. I'm glad it paid off." Luis put a hand on her knee.

"I know we have to kill them. I just hate that everything has to get so violent. I don't like the blood one bit. I kill them when I have to, but I don't want to go out of my way to kill these things. Violence was not how I was raised." Nancy said.

"...Everything will be okay, mother." Luis muttered. Nancy moved her hand to be on top of his.

Curtis and Jake were busy moving bodies.

"Holy fuck, the term dead weight really does have meaning." Jake grunted as he dragged a corpse by its arms.

"Only hundreds more to go." Curtis remarked with a small smirk.

"Yeah. Great." Jake stood up and wiped sweat from his brow.

"Hey. You good?" Curtis suddenly asked.

"Am I GOOD?" Jake repeated.

"You're always up and working. You do so much for this group already. Take a break. I can get someone else to switch with you." Curtis offered.

"...You know, a break does sound nice. Yeah. Thanks, Curt." Jake slumped his shoulders and walked away.

Nearby, Allura was checking on Romelle.

"My head still okay?" Romelle asked.

"It looks alright. I doubt you hit it against anything while fighting." Allura explained, "I wish you wouldn't have gone out there."

"Someone had to protect you, didn't they?" Romelle smiled.

"Ha. Yeah, sure." Allura playfully scoffed.

"Hey! Can anyone help me with some of these bodies?!" Curtis called out to anyone who would answer.

Allura turned to Romelle.

"Hey, keep resting here. I'm gonna go help Curtis." Allura took Romelle by the hands.

"'Kay. Love you." Romelle sighed.

"Love you, too." Allura gushed as she pecked the blonde on the cheek, and stood up, "Curtis! Hang on, I'll help!"

Pidge was rubbing her bloody knife in the grass. Matt walked over to her, Bae Bae at his side. Pidge grinned upon seeing her.

"Hey, girl!" Pidge wrapped her arms around the dog, "I missed you."

"The McClain kids and Lukas did good protecting her." Matt said.

"I bet Bae Bae here could take out walkers all on her own. Couldn't you, baby girl." Pidge cooed.

"Heh, maybe." Matt chuckled as he walked away. As he left, Colleen came over.

"All good, Katie?" Colleen asked.

"Yep." Pidge nodded, then paused. She remembered what she wanted to tell her mother, "Hey... Mom?"

"Yeah, honey?" Colleen propped her gun up on the nearby wall.

"When Hunk and I were out there earlier. I... I had to kill someone again." Pidge admitted.

Colleen was immediately down on her knees with Pidge, and a hand was on her shoulder.

"Are you okay? What happened?" Colleen questioned.

"He came at us. He said he wanted us to join his group, but it sounded like it would be as some type of slavery. We fought him off, and eventually, I... killed him." Pidge recalled.

"You weren't hurt, were you?" Colleen's voice hardened.

"The guy roughed me up a little, but I'm okay. So is Hunk." Pidge nodded quickly.

"Okay. That's good." Colleen breathed a sigh of relief, "...It never gets easier."

"No. It really doesn't." Pidge agreed.

On the side of the school, Keith was sitting against the brick, while James stood closer to the fence, watching for more walkers.

"Why'd you do that?" James turned around and looked directly at him.

"Do what?" Keith titled his head as he balanced his elbow on his raised knee.

"You threw yourself at all those walkers. To save me." James gave him a strange look.

"And? I was giving you the chance to climb down and get away." Keith said, matter of factly.

"But you did it for ME. I know we've kind of made amends now, but that doesn't erase how... shitty I was to you before. Especially about your parents." James muttered the last part.

"That's in the past. I try not to hold grudges anymore. I know that both of us are better people now than what we were at the Garrison." Keith looked wistfully up at the sky, "...My mom walked out on me before I could even know who she is, and my dad died. My next two families before Shiro sure as hell were literal hell, but that's the past. It doesn't matter anymore. At least not to me."

"If not for Lance and Mrs. Holt, you would've been walker food." James noted.

"Yeah, totally. It makes me feel even more bad that I pretty much ignored his presence when we were both Garrison cadets." Keith lightly chuckled.

James laughed along with them, then he leaned against the wall beside Keith.

"But for real. Please... don't put your life on the line for me. I don't want you to die for me. O-Or anyone." James shook his head.

"I'll do my best." Keith responded, puzzled.

"Here, why don't we give the others some help with the bodies?" James suggested.

Keith shrugged.

"Works for me." Keith stood up with the help of James and together walked over to where many others were still moving bodies.

Just under an hour later, most of the bodies had been moved outside the walls. Several piles of them were scattered out front. The group was planning to burn them.

Hunk and Veronica hauled out another body, tossing it onto the closest pile.

"I feel like I'm gonna pass out..." Hunk panted, "We've been going back and forth for the longest time.

"Stick with it, Hunk. Just a few more bodies." Veronica encouraged, with a small pat on the shoulder, "WOW, you are sweating like you're in hell."

"I know. When I'm active for really long periods of time, that happens." Hunk sighed, "It's gross, but after I get a nice, long shower, I'll feel better."

Veronica silently laughed as Hunk proceeded to daydream about taking a shower. The two of them walked back inside to retrieve another body as Lance and Marco passed them, carrying out their own corpse.

"Guys, take that body to the left side. Right piles are getting a little crowded." Veronica instructed.

"Got it. Thanks, Vero." Marco nodded.

"Jeez! What does this guy weigh, 500 pounds?!" Lance groaned.

The two of them shuffled past the gates and to the left, where they dropped the body in one of the smaller piles.

"Almost done. Finally..." Marco breathed out a content huff of air.

"I can't believe we killed so many today." Lance surveyed the amount of body piles. Some were stacked as tall as him.

"Today's been quite the day for the unexpected." Marco remarked.

"You can say that again. Did you see _Mamá_ out there? I'm surprised she actually fought them." Lance said.

"Come on, Lance, have some faith in her." Marco put his hands on his hips.

"I do! But she always gets so upset when we put ourselves into danger. I never thought that she'd put herself in it." Lance shrugged.

"It's because we're her children. She already--" Marco cut himself off, but continued, "She already lost one of us. She'd go to the ends of the earth to prevent anyone else from dying."

"That is true." Lance conceded.

Behind them, the bushes rustled. Both brothers raised their weapons up in defense. A walker stumbled out from the brush, and they relaxed.

"I got it." Marco swung his fire axe between his hands as he approached the walker.

Marco raised the axe above his head. With one quick motion, he brought it down directly into the top of the walker's head. The axe was yanked out, leaving the body to crumple up on the ground.

"Good one." Lance chuckled, "Solid 9/10. Could've used a full head split, though."

Marco let the axe go as he laughed along.

"Okay, sure. Maybe next time. Here, help me load this asshole in with the others." Marco said.

Lance jogged over and grabbed one end of the body, while Marco tried lifting the other. When the body wouldn't lift, both of them stepped away from it.

"God damn! Now THIS motherfucker is heavy!" Marco grunted.

"No kidding." Lance wiped away some sweat that trickled down his cheek.

"I mean, seriously! How heavy could a walker's corpse even--?" Marco began to think out loud, only for a deafening gunshot to ring out from beyond the trees behind them.

As sudden as the shot came, blood spewed out from the front of Marco's head. His body was sent down to the ground, right next to the walker's. Lance flinched back, and as soon as his older brother's lifeless body registered in his mind, he screamed.

"MARCO?! MARCO!!!" Lance screeched.

From inside the trees, William moved his eye away from the scope of his gun. He reached down to his side and pulled out a radio.

"Move in. Now!" William ordered into the radio.

Several Plaht City vehicles appeared down the road, speeding toward Plaht City. William and the small amount of soldiers alongside him emerged from the woods.

Lance was still standing there, rendered speechless. His hands trembled at the sight of the men.

"Another one! Take him out!" Tyler shouted as he and the rest stepped right over Marco's body.

"NO! NO!!!" Lance began to backpedal as fast as he could. Just as William and the other soldiers raised their guns, he bolted back inside of Redwood's walls.

Lance desperately dragged the damaged gate along, until it slammed shut.

"GUYS! GUYS, WE HAVE A MAAAAJOR FUCKING PROBLEM!!!" Lance screamed as he slid down the metal wall.

"What the fuck is going on?!" Pidge asked, her and everyone else hurrying over to where he was.

On the other side of the gate, William and his soldiers stepped into view, and at the same time, the rest of the vehicles pulled up behind him.

"Hello again!" William greeted with a scowl, "I've done some thinking since we last saw each other. And I think it's time that we have a little TALK."

The inhabitants of Redwood Boarding School looked at each other in horror as the countless number of soldiers exited the cars in front of them, all armed with guns.

"You still have someone of mine. Maybe if you follow my demands... we'll let you live." William finished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next one gonna be craaaaaaazyyyyy


	9. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No one is safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *big deep sigh*

Plaht City soldiers lined up in formation behind William. From inside the gate, the group stared at them in shock.

"Shit..." Bryan gasped from the back of the crowd.

"Where is my son?!" William shouted, "I don't want to have to kill someone else!"

"S-Someone else...?" Nancy murmured as she took in Lance's grief stricken face, "Lance, what happened to Marco?"

Lance was taking deep breaths, while staring at the ground, almost in a trance.

"Lance, what happened?" Nancy asked again, more forceful.

"...He's dead. They-They killed Marco." Lance squeaked out, placing a hand over his mouth as tears began to fall.

Nancy, Luis, and Veronica all reacted as if they'd taken a hit to the gut.

"He... n-no. NO!" Veronica screamed.

"My baby! Not my baby boy..." Nancy started to sob into Veronica's shoulder.

"I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL ALL OF YOU?! DO YOU HEAR ME?! EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU!!!" Luis tried to lunge for the gates, only for Shiro and Marcus to grab him by the shoulders and hold him back.

"I didn't want it to go down like that. I just needed to show you I was serious!" William explained, "Now don't make me do it again, and show me my son."

Bryan pushed through the crowd and walked up to the center of the gate.

"What the hell did you do?!" Bryan exclaimed as they stared down their dad.

"I came to get you away from these murderous, bloodthirsty people. I'll do it by force if needed." William said.

"And you think killing people is how you'll get me back?! I already told you once I didn't want to go!" Bryan shouted.

"Are you really going to make me kill all of these people you say are so good? Do not test me." William readied his gun.

"Please, Bry. I miss you so much." Deborah came up beside her husband.

"M-Mom?" Bryan was a little surprised to see her.

"Hi, honey. We all came out to get you. Please... don't make this hard. Come with us." Deborah pleaded.

Bryan looked down at their feet. They gripped the bars of the gate, and finally looked back up at them.

"I want ten minutes to talk to my-- this group. Then we'll come." Bryan stated.

"Alright. TEN minutes. That's it." William scoffed.

"Thank you." Bryan said with a small smile, before turning to face Pidge, to which they made a quick gesture with their head toward the school.

"Everyone inside." Pidge called out to the group.

Adam slammed the entry doors to the school shut.

"Is this... really goodbye?" Windy walked over to Bryan.

"Oh, hell no. I already told him before that I'm not going with him. But saying it to his face only got someone killed." Bryan replied.

"So, what are we doing, then?" Keith asked.

Pidge rubbed her chin for a moment, then snapped her fingers.

"Maybe we could--" Pidge began.

"Now I know you aren't suggesting that we fight with them. We're already horribly outnumbered as it is. And if we did, BOTH sides would spill blood." Adam interjected.

"What's the alternative? Let Bryan and Lorenzo go back to that piece of shit? Who knows what he'd do if they did?" Pidge countered.

"It wouldn't feel right just to send them both right back to that." Hunk agreed.

"I mean no offense by this, but... are two lives worth ALL of ours?" Romelle questioned.

"I don't care. I'm willing to die if it means I can avenge my brother." Luis claimed with fire in his eyes.

"Yeah. What he said." Veronica agreed.

"I don't-- I don't know what to do." Lance shook his head.

"Hey, you're gonna be okay. It's gonna hurt for a while, you already know. I'm here to help you pull through. Just like I was before." Hunk assured him.

"Wait. I might have an idea." Bryan suddenly cut in.

"Yes, Bryan?" Shiro prompted.

"We have radios here, right?" Bryan asked.

"Yeah. I've got one right here." Grace pulled one out from her pocket.

"Can I use it?" Bryan extended their hand.

"Sure. Here." Grace gave them the radio.

"What do you plan to do with that?" Allura asked.

"...I want to talk to my mom. I didn't think she'd be here but she is. She's-- She's kind of an ass like my dad, but... she never tended to agree with anything he did before all this. Maybe if I convince her, she'll get him to stand down." Bryan explained.

"Okay... not a bad idea." Ryan nodded along.

"And what if it doesn't work?" Jake added, "Then what?"

"Then... we hope nobody dies." Pidge sighed.

"You know that's going to be a risky move. Are you SURE we should be fighting, Katie?" Colleen placed her hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"I'm sure, Mom. We can do this." Pidge nodded, "Okay, everyone, grab a gun. Lance, I know you're mourning right now, and I'm so sorry, but... are you willing to go to the roof and be our sniper? You're our best sharpshooter."

Lance sniffled, then nodded.

"Yeah. I'll do it. I-I'll be fine, you don't gotta worry. It'll keep my mind off everything." Lance picked up his rifle and headed off for the entrance to the roof.

Lorenzo stood behind Bryan, who held the radio up to their face.

"Is this really what you want to do?" Lorenzo asked to confirm.

"Yes. Yes it is. I don't want to go with him. But I don't want people to die from my choice. More than they already have." Bryan nodded.

They pressed their finger onto the speaking button, and pulled the radio closer.

"Hey. It's Bryan." Bryan spoke into the radio.

"This is Layla. What do you want?" Layla's voice came from the other end.

"I want to speak to my mom." Bryan stated.

"One second." Layla responded.

Outside Redwood's walls, Layla walked up to Deborah and tapped her on the shoulder.

"It's Bryan. He wants to talk." Layla informed.

"Give it here." Deborah took the radio and quickly pressed the button, "Bry? Are you there?"

"Mom? Mom! Yes. Yes, I'm here." Bryan replied.

"Are you okay, sweetie? What's going on?" Deborah asked.

"I'm fine. I just need to ask you a favor." Bryan revealed.

"Of course, honey. Anything." Deborah sighed.

"...Tell Dad to stand down. He doesn't have to kill anyone. These people? They're not like he said they are. He's been lying all this time. We'll come back with you, but only if he promises to put the guns away." Bryan said.

Deborah was silent on the other end for at least a minute. Finally, the radio crackled back to life.

"Bry... it's not that simple. You just don't understand. These people. They MIGHT be good. But they've made you think that they're better than they are. You're still learning about this world, and that's okay. But you must know that we have to do this." Deborah replied.

As she spoke, Bryan lowered the radio, and looked at the others surrounding them silently.

"Bry? You still there?" Deborah called into the radio.

"Yeah... Yeah, I'm still here. We'll be out in a minute." Bryan answered, before shutting off the radio.

"Bryan? You okay?" Jade asked.

"I guess. Shit, I just thought I'd be able to get through to her. I'm--" Bryan rubbed their forehead.

"It'll be fine." Romelle comforted, "Maybe... Maybe if we take the first shot we can--"

"No." Bryan suddenly cut her off.

"What do you mean, 'no'?" Adam crossed his arms.

"I know what I said just now. But I can't have you guys dying. Lorenzo and I haven't been here for very long, but you guys have been really supportive. So I'm going back. This time you're not gonna talk me out of it." Bryan revealed.

"...Alright." Pidge relented.

"But their dad--" Hunk was cut short by a hand on his arm.

"It's their choice." Pidge sighed.

"...Thank you." Bryan nodded.

"Alright. Let's go do this, then." Shiro huffed deeply.

The group was back out by the front gate. Bryan stood near the front.

"You seriously don't have to do this." Hunk whispered while he and Pidge stood behind them.

"You're wrong." Bryan whispered back, before turning around and gesturing to Avery, "Open the gate."

"...Okay." Avery reluctantly agreed.

The gate was slowly edged open, to which both groups tensed around their guns.

"EASY." Shiro warned.

From the rooftop, Lance peered through his rifle scope. He watched as Bryan started to walk out of the gate.

"C-Come on... please." Lance murmured.

"Glad you made the right choice, Bry." William smiled as Bryan approached.

Just as he was about to wrap an arm around Bryan's waist, something yanked Bryan back. Pidge.

"No. You know what? No. Bryan is happy here. Happier than they ever were with you. And as their FRIEND, I cannot in good conscience send them back to a place like yours. Where the leaders are a couple of dirty, lying, killing pieces of SHIT." Pidge scowled.

"KATIE! What are you doing?!" Colleen exclaimed.

"I'm saving a friend." Pidge answered bluntly, "Come on, Bryan. We did this once, we can do it again. You don't have to go."

"W-Wait! He's gonna-- He--" Bryan stuttered as Pidge pulled them back inside.

William's fists clenched, and he stormed over to one of the vehicles. The door was swung open and he rummaged in the backseat for a few seconds, before he pulled out something that made Bryan tense up.

The rocket launcher they'd seen in the armory the day they'd left.

"Put that away! Y-You don't need that! Please!" Bryan shouted.

William started to walk toward the group, when a hand shoved into his chest. Nadia Rizavi stood in front of him, other hand on her gun.

"Listen, BUDDY. I don't get too involved in this group's politics. That's not really my style. What I DO know is that you need to know when to take a loss. GIVE UP. Your child does not want to be around you anymore. If you try to fight, we'll fight back. Because we actually care about Bryan." Rizavi sneered as she backed up back into her group.

William grit his teeth, and looked at Evan, who was behind him. A nod was exchanged between them, and he turned back around.

"Okay. Look. I know I've been rude lately." William admitted, putting a hand up in the air.

"Keep your guard up." James whispered. A boy from the back of the group pulled out his gun and watched.

"I can work toward being better. Just give me a chance." William looked at Bryan, "Bry? What do you say?"

Bryan glared at him.

"You've had sixteen years to do better. So take your people and-- and fuck off. I don't want to see you." Bryan spat. Beside them, Lorenzo wrapped an arm around them for comfort.

William sighed hard, hand still up.

"I expected better from you." William looked up.

He closed his hand into a fist. Evan suddenly raised his gun, aimed at Riazvi.

"DOWN!" Ryan lunged toward Riazvi.

Evan fired, and Rizavi flinched back. But the bullet didn't hit her. Instead, the boy from the back had ran forward and jumped in front of her, firing his own gun. The bullet struck him in the chest, sending him to the ground. None of his shots landed.

"Oh, shit!" Rizavi stumbled back from the body.

"EVERYONE, MOVE! OPEN FIRE!" Shiro ordered.

"They're attacking!" Evan shouted, when he was suddenly shot through the head.

Lance smirked a little as his shot hit its mark. Evan fell dead right beside William.

"FUCK! KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL!!!" William pointed.

Everyone in the group quickly ran back behind whatever cover they could find. Most ran back to the wall with window holes they could duck down behind. Allura and Romelle pushed over a few picnic tables on their sides. Marcus and Curtis followed suit on the other side of the courtyard. James ducked down behind some of the old furniture outside. A man was about to shoot Matt as he and Pidge jumped behind one of the overturned picnic tables, but another shot from Lance to his head foiled his plan.

"This is an all out WARZONE!" Matt yelled.

"No shit!" Pidge responded while firing off four blind shots.

Behind some of the group's cars, Jake, Veronica, Luis, and Nancy were ducked behind. Jake stood up and unloaded several bullets into a man's chest and head.

"They're gonna pin us down!" Veronica warned.

"No they won't!" Luis barked as he stood up. He began firing, and didn't stop until two soldiers fell to the ground lifeless.

From the roof, Lance watched the chaos begin to unfold.

"Sh-Shit!" Lance cried as he stood up and ran to head back down.

In the halls of the school, Lance ran toward the doors. Just before he made it, he bumped into two smaller figures.

"Uncle Lance!" Nadia cried.

"Silvio, Nadia? What are you guys doing?!" Lance kneeled down in front of them.

"We were coming to help! We hear the gunshots outside!" Silvio explained.

"Are you crazy! It's-- It's REALLY bad out there!" Lance stressed, his eyes wide.

"We know." Nadia agreed.

"We want to help!" Silvio protested.

Lance took a deep breath.

"...Fine. Okay. You two stay RIGHT BY ME, and keep your heads down until we get to some cover. Do you understand?" Lance looked directly into their eyes.

"Yes!" Both of them chanted at the same time.

"Good. Now do as I said and stay close." Lance hushed as he inched for the door.

With a swift kick, Lance flung open the doors. He, Silvio, and Nadia raced down the stairs. They ran past Grace and Jade, the latter of which shot a woman in the head. Lance responded by shooting the man who had been standing right next to her in the chest as he ran.

"Keep running!" Lance urged.

From the main gate, William aimed the rocket launcher. When he settled on a target, he fired. In seconds, the blast hit the top of the school. The ground and building rocked.

"Jesus!" Curtis covered his head in shock, before returning fire at Freddie and Holly.

"May God have mercy on your poor souls!" Freddie scowled as he fired in the direction of Curtis and the others.

As Veronica shot a man in the shoulder, then his head, Lance, Silvio, and Nadia ran up beside her and the others by the cars.

"Lance! You're-- wait what are THEY doing out here?!" Luis shouted, seeing his children standing beside him.

"We're HELPING!" Silvio stated loudly.

"Sorry, Luis. I couldn't shake them." Lance muttered.

"Not your fault. They can be quite persistent!" Luis huffed as he ducked from gunfire, "Kids, just stay behind us and keep--!"

Gunshots broke the car windows around them, and they saw Jeanette and another man approaching them.

"Time's up, shitheads!" Jeanette screamed.

Both of them fired on the group, however Veronica was able to strike the man dead in the head. She went to shoot Jeanette, when her gun clicked.

"Shit, I'm out!" Veronica panicked.

Just as Jeanette rounded the side of the car, a bullet flew into her arm, and she collapsed on the ground.

"OW! OH, GOD!!!" Jeanette screamed in agony.

Silvio stood, his gun aimed at her.

"Silvio?!" Lance breathed.

Silvio began to walk toward her.

"Silvio, wait!" Nadia tried to stop her brother, but he wasn't listening.

He approached, seeing Jeanette had stopped moving and was unresponsive when he kicked her arm. He turned to Lance and Luis, grinning.

"I did it!" Silvio cheered.

Jeanette's eyes opened, and she turned toward Silvio.

"Nice try, kid." Jeanette scoffed as she sat up and aimed her gun.

A gunshot went off. Everyone flinched. Silvio took a step back, staring right at Jeanette. Then his eyes trailed downward, fixating on the bullet hole in his own chest.

"No... NO!!!" Lance screamed as he raced forward.

"SILVIOOOO!!!" Luis let out a rage filled scream, and proceeded to unload at least a dozen rounds into Jeanette's body. Several of which penetrated her head, putting her down for real.

Lance reached Silvio just as he slumped backwards into his uncle's arms.

"U-Uncle La-- Lance... Lance...?" Silvio rasped out. His breathing quickly became ragged and shallow.

Nancy screamed at the sight, while Veronica simply had her hand over her face. Lance brushed some of Silvio's hair from his face.

"It's okay... it's okay." Lance started to lightly sob, "Just-- Just-- close your eyes, now."

Silvio's chest spasmed up and down a few more times, until it came slowing down to complete stillness. Lance let his body gently lie flat on the ground, as he stood back up. More gunfire caused him to slip back behind the cars.

"Holy fuck, guys... I'm so--" Jake began.

Luis interrupted him by reloading his rifle and shooting at the soldiers attacking them. When they ducked down, Luis took the chance to run off in another direction.

"LUIS, COME BACK!" Veronica shouted, "FUCK!"

Nadia stood far back, her eyes not leaving the body of her brother.

William shot the rocket launcher a second time. The blast hit the side of the school. Bryan was hiding just beside the stairs leading into the school. When they believed the coast to be clear, they bolted up the stairs and inside.

"BRYAN!" Lorenzo called after them.

"What's wrong?!" Windy exclaimed as they, Ryan, and Rizavi ran over.

"They ran off. Into the school! With William shooting at it, it might go down!" Lorenzo hissed.

"I'll go after them! Cover me!" Windy decided.

"On it! Be careful!" Ryan worried.

Windy jumped up the stairs as Ryan, Lorenzo, and Rizavi shot at the soldiers. One fell dead from two shots to the stomach from Ryan. From behind their picnic table cover, a walker suddenly reached around and grabbed Rizavi's arm.

"Oh, jesus!" Rizavi reacted quickly, pulling the walker into the open and shooting it in the head. It was the boy who had jumped in front of her.

"I'm sorry. Thank you." Rizavi whispered.

From Plaht City's side, William shot off another rocket blast. This one hit the wall beside the school, and made a big hole for anything to get in.

"I'm out! Cover me while I reload!" Layla barked.

"I gotcha!" Luna responded as she took her sister's place.

"Keep 'em pinned down! We have the numbers!" Eugene shouted.

Sam watched all of this from behind a car outside of the gate. She quietly cursed to herself. William turned to two men who were ducked down behind the wall.

"Ron, David, go around back and get into the school. I saw Bryan run in there, and I'm getting him back." William ordered.

"Got it, boss." Ron nodded as both of them turned and ran off.

Behind a picnic table, Shiro, Allura, Curtis, Romelle, Grace, Jade, Avery, and Maddie were down, reloading their guns. Avery looked over to the right, where the RV was parked.

"Guys, let's make a run for the RV! If we get inside, we can run all these motherfuckers over and be done with it!" Avery said.

"Are you insane?! We'll be shot instantly!" Allura retorted.

"Whatever. I'm gonna try. Anyone with me?" Avery looked among the others.

"I'll do it." Maddie agreed.

"I'm not gonna GO, but I'll cover you." Romelle added.

"Okay... okay, okay. Here we go. You ready, Mads?" Avery grabbed her by the hand.

"Ready." Maddie's breath grew shaky.

"...GO!" Avery and Maddie burst out running from cover to the RV.

Just as they did, Romelle stood up and fired at the soldiers. One was shot in the chest, while another was shot in the head. Halfway there, Tyler fired his gun, hitting Maddie in the leg.

"AGH, no!" Maddie screamed as she slumped down.

"I've got you!" Avery wrapped her arm over his shoulder and continued running.

"Fuck me... Avery, come back!" Jade shouted.

"You won't make it!" Grace pleaded.

Surprisingly, Avery reached the RV door. He swung it open and helped Maddie climb inside. He turned around and looked at the others.

"COME ON! WE CAN COVER YOU!" Avery waved them along.

But before any of them could even think of making the run for it, the RV burst into flames as a rocket blast made direct contact. Grace let out a horrified scream at the sight. The RV was completely destroyed, and a charred body was lying right next to the metal carnage.

"Oh, dear god." Shiro lowered his head.

William smirked triumphantly.

Colleen was returning fire to several soldiers from behind a wall. Luis ran over beside her, a stoic but furious look on your face.

"Everything okay?" Colleen asked between shots.

"I'm going to kill every last one of them." Luis stated, voice devoid of any emotion.

"...Works for me." Colleen replied as both of them fired into the crowd.

Luis took a slow breath in, and managed to shoot two soldiers straight in their heads with only one bullet each. Levi, who was standing beside them, gasped in surprise, only for him to be shot in the head as well. Colleen looked over at Luis again. This time, his teeth were clenched, and his eyes were twitching. She nodded to herself.

Inside the school, Bryan was sitting on the bed inside a bedroom. What sounded like footsteps from down the hall made them flinch and stand at attention. They pulled out their gun and inched toward the doorway.

"Hello...?" Bryan called out, "Is someone there?"

Just as they reached the doorway, Ron lunged into view, shoving into them.

"Come here, kid!" Ron yelled as he stormed into the room.

"Shit! SHIT! Get away!" Bryan yelled, firing the gun wildly. Ron ran up and wrestled the gun from their hands and knocked it away.

"You're lucky your daddy wants you alive, otherwise I'd fucking kill you!" Ron threatened as he tried to wrap Bryan in a chokehold. Bryan pulled out their knife and swiped at him, slicing his arm.

"Fuck off!" Bryan groaned, stomping down on Ron's foot.

Ron grimaced in pain, and shoved Bryan to the ground. Then he began to get down on top of them.

"You're in for it now, you little--!" Ron suddenly stopped speaking as Bryan turned around and jabbed their knife up blindly. Right into his chest.

Ron looked down limply at the knife embedded in him, then back up at the teen. Blood leaked out of his mouth.

"N-No... shit, no! I-I'm sorry, I--" Bryan quickly yanked the knife out, to which Ron's body rolled over on its back as blood pooled around him.

"Yo, Ron? You down here?! Did you find him?!" David's voice could be heard from further down the hall.

Seconds later, David peeked into the room, seeing Bryan standing over Ron's corpse. His eyes burned through Bryan.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" David charged at them.

"NO! I-I didn't mean--!" Bryan yelped as David grabbed them by the arms.

Before things went further, a bullet soared through the side of David's head. Windy ran into the room.

"Bryan! Holy fuck, are you okay?!" Windy grabbed their arm.

"...I killed him. I stab-stabbed him, I-- I killed him." Bryan pointed to Ron's body.

"It's okay. You had to. You had to." Windy consoled them as they kneeled down to the body and stabbed it in the head.

Back outside, another soldier was shot in the chest by Luis. He jumped over the small wall barrier and began making his way closer to the army.

"Luis, what are you doing?!" Colleen called after him.

Luis charged at a soldier, unloading many bullets into his torso. He was just about to shoot at another, when Freddie appeared right in front of him. Freddie fired his gun three times in quick succession, each bullet catching directly into Luis' chest.

"Fuck... you..." Luis choked out as he slumped to his knees. Freddie responded by putting a fourth bullet into Luis' forehead. As his body folded back, he stared down at it. Colleen looked on in frozen shock and despair.

"Fuck..." Colleen whispered, voice breaking.

"That's what you--" Freddie is cut off when James, who was ducked behind the couch right beside him, leapt out and shot him right in the chest. His body collapsed right beside Luis'.

"James, go!" Colleen said to him. James turned and ran for her cover spot. Victor aimed and was about to shoot at him, but Colleen was faster, and sent a bullet right into his head.

"VICTOR!" Miles cried, but he was shot in the head, too.

"Fuck! They're killing us!" Eugene shouted to William.

William tossed aside the rocket launcher, now empty. He pulled out his pistol and looked at Eugene. Then at where Colleen and James were firing from.

"Get them!" William fired a few shots of his own at them.

Eugene ran toward them, jumping behind his own cover of a picnic table.

"I've gotta find Keith!" James shouted.

"Go! I've got this covered!" Colleen nodded.

James stood up and ran off. Eugene noticed this.

"HEY!" Eugene went to shoot, but Colleen quickly put him down with a shot to the head.

"Shit!" Holly cursed as the bullet nearly hit her.

"Get back! Stay in cover!" Donna warned.

Nadia was hidden in some bushes next to the school. She held her gun close while she quietly cried.

Ryan and Lorenzo were still shooting, when Jade and Lukas jumped into cover next to them. Ryan looked down.

"You guys okay?" Ryan asked.

"Just peachy." Jade huffed as she held her gun at the ready.

"Grace told us to run while she shot at them." Lukas said, "I'm scared."

"Don't worry. Grace is tough. She'll be fine." Lorenzo consoled as he stopped firing and Ryan took his place.

"Shit, I'm worried for Windy. They haven't come back out yet." Ryan looked toward the doors.

"I can go with you inside. Maybe we can find them." Jade offered.

"...Yeah. Yeah, okay." Ryan nodded, "Will you be fine on your own, Lorenzo?"

"Of course. My parents taught me how to use weapons before all of this." Lorenzo smirked a little.

Ryan and Jade went to run, but Lukas grabbed Jade's arm.

"I'm not leaving you." Lukas insisted.

"...Then come on." Jade relented.

Ryan, Jade, and Lukas ran up the stairs and inside the school. Some of the building's bricks were beginning to shift loose.

James slipped around the corner to the side of the school. Nearby, he heard someone grunting. Someone familiar. James rushed around to the back of the school, seeing Keith fighting back against a few walkers. His sword sliced through two walkers' heads, and James shot the last one in the back of the head.

"They... They're getting in!" Keith explained.

"I know, man. We just gotta hold them off." James helped Keith regain his balance.

"For how much longer?" Keith muttered as the two of them quickly stumbled back toward the front.

Behind the cars, Veronica emptied her gun at the soldiers. One of them started marching toward her, when he was shot in the side of the head. Marcus ran up to them, gun in hand.

"This is becoming too much!" Marcus shouted.

"No kidding!" Veronica groaned, "I'm out of bullets again!"

"What can we do now?" Nancy wondered in a panic.

Before any of them could speak, a large creaking sound cut through the air. A large section of the wall caved in and fell forward. Everyone ducked down as dust spread through the air. When Lance peeked up, he could see a large cluster of walkers coming inside, having all been drawn by the sounds.

"We've got company!" Lance warned, standing up and beginning to shoot at the pack of walkers coming their way.

"Are you serious?!" Veronica exclaimed, "We don't have enough ammo for the dead and the living!"

Lance stared at the walkers, then turned back to Veronica.

"Go." Lance lightly pushed her.

"What??" Veronica looked puzzled.

"Get out of here! This-- This place is burning and getting overrun AGAIN! We... We can't save it this time." Lance shouted.

"Lance, that's insane! We don't even have a rendezvous point!" Veronica rebutted.

"We could think of something!" Marcus cut in.

Just then, Deborah and another man began to open fire on them.

"Now or never! GO!" Lance aimed his rifle and returned fire.

"I'll go with you." Marcus agreed, helping Nancy stand, "Just make sure Hunk is safe. Please."

"I will." Lance nodded.

Marcus and Veronica helped Nancy run off toward the clear hole in the wall.

"FIND NADIA!" Veronica added as the three of them fled the school.

Lance watched them disappear into the trees. Without missing a beat, he turned and fired his rifle again. The shot went right through the man alongside Deborah's head. Deborah glared in Lance's direction and stormed toward him, firing many times. Lance cursed inward and ducked behind the school's wall for cover. He returned fire a few more times, until his rifle clicked. Lance stared at it in horror. Immediately after, Deborah rounded the corner and aimed her gun at his head.

"Don't move. Drop your weapon. NOW!" Deborah ordered.

"Okay... just one second." Lance tried to stall.

"I'm not fucking around! Do it or-- AGH!" Deborah suddenly screamed in pain as a bullet hit her in the arm. Her gun dropped to the ground. Lance turned around, seeing Nadia standing there, gun up.

"Don't hurt my uncle Lance!" Nadia declared, tears in her eyes.

"Sweetheart... put the gun--" Deborah was cut off as Nadia fired the gun a second time. Straight into the woman's forehead.

Deborah's body folded back, and Nadia nearly fell over from the recoil. Lance watched the body go limp in wordless disbelief.

"Nadia..." Lance murmured, before he snapped out of it, "Where-Where's your father?"

Nadia just wiped her nose and shook her head. Lance understood.

"Okay, sweetheart. We gotta go. If we don't the monsters are going to get us." Lance told her.

"What about the others?" Nadia asked.

"They'll know what to do. _Abuela_ and auntie Vero already made it out with Hunk's dad." Lance explained, "Come on!"

Just as Lance and Nadia turned to run, a few walkers were shot dead in front of them. Beside them, Star ran over.

"I can't find my sister! Everything is just so-so all over the place!" Star cried.

"We'll find her later! But for now, come with us! We gotta go!" Lance extended his hand.

"...Okay." Star agreed.

Lance, Nadia, and Star all ran out of the school's walls. Some bricks came loose and fell down to the ground just behind them. Nearby, Pidge and Hunk were side by side, shooting at a few soldiers. Pidge managed to shoot Marco through his eye, before she ducked down as others fired back.

"Where is everyone?!" Hunk shouted.

"I don't know! I lost track of my mom and Matt and now walkers are getting in!" Pidge threw her hands up.

"Don't worry, we'll-- we'll think of something!" Hunk reassured her.

Without warning, from beside Hunk, Mitchell leapt out from his waiting place and grabbed Hunk.

"HUNK!" Pidge cried as Mitchell shoved her back.

"AHH! NO!" Hunk yelled in fear as Mitchell began hitting him in the stomach and aiming for his face.

"Stay still, you little bitch!" Mitchell scowled.

"Pidge, run!" Hunk groaned, holding the man away from him.

"No! I can't leave you!" Pidge shook her head and ran at Mitchell, only to be kicked in the stomach and knocked back again. She coughed and rolled onto all fours. A brick rolled in front of her, and she looked up.

The part of the school she and Hunk were in front of, that had been hit by one of the rocket blasts, was about to cave in. Right on top of them.

"HUNK!!!" Pidge screamed.

Hunk craned his neck and saw what was so urgent. He tried to squirm away, only for Mitchell to grab his shoulders and hold him in place.

"Pidge... RUN! NOW!" Hunk growled.

"Hunk--" Pidge began.

"I. SAID. NOW." Hunk repeated.

The wall began to rumble as it slid out of place. Hunk gave her one last smile.

"I love you." Hunk breathed.

Pidge turned around just as the wall came crashing down. Mitchell pushed Hunk to the ground, and the wall smashed into the ground, on top of them both. Pidge stared as the dust settled. Then, she screamed. A pair of hands were on her shoulders next.

"Pidge?! Pidge, what happened?!" Matt asked after he ran over.

"He's-- Hunk's-- He was--" Pidge blubbered as tears streamed down her face. Matt's face softened as he stared at the brick rubble.

"Holy shit... okay, come on. Let's go find mom, okay? Let's get you away from here." Matt softly led Pidge in another direction, keeping her head covered to avoid bullets.

Allura, Romelle, and Shiro were ducked behind a table. Shiro fired a few shots off and ducked back down.

"We shouldn't have let Grace run off like that!" Allura groaned.

"Nothing we can do now! Just stay down!" Romelle said, firing two shots of her own.

Curtis slid in beside them.

"Curtis?!" Shiro turned to him.

"Sorry for the rough entrance! But I couldn't find anyone!" Curtis explained.

"We're all split up, which is NOT good." Allura remarked.

"I think I saw Lance running out of the school. Through a hole in the wall." Curtis recalled.

"Do you think people have really abandoned this place?" Romelle wondered.

"I don't blame them. We're being boxed in by walkers and people, both of which are trying to kill us!" Shiro scoffed.

"I think I saw a way out on the other side! We might be able to make it! A lot of them have stopped firing at US and are aiming for the walkers!" Curtis said.

"I think it's worth a shot." Romelle agreed.

"Same here." Allura nodded.

"Okay. We'll do it." Shiro reloaded his gun, "Stay close to each other."

The four of them jumped up and began running for the other side of the school.

"They're making a run for it!" Tyler informed.

"We should go after them!" Luna tried to run after them, only to be stopped by Layla and Peter.

"Are you CRAZY?! Look at how many walkers there are!" Peter exclaimed.

"He's right. You can't just go running after them." Layla agreed.

"Plus, if we don't kill 'em, the walkers will." Andy lightly chuckled.

"Whatever." Luna huffed, backing down.

Romelle, Allura, Curtis, and Shiro ran for the broken open fence on the other side of the school. Romelle reached it first, when suddenly another part of the building began to shift.

"Oh, fuck! It's gonna collapse!" Curtis pointed.

"GO! Get through the fence!" Shiro ushered.

Romelle slipped through first, and turned back just in time to see the bricks come crashing down.

"WATCH OUT!" Shiro pulled Allura back just as the bricks collided into the ground.

When the three stood up, they couldn't see Romelle anymore.

"R-Romelle?! Are you okay?!" Allura screamed.

"I'm fine! I made it out! What are you guys going to do?!" Romelle shouted from the other side.

"We'll figure something out! Just run! Get out of here!" Allura called out.

Romelle listened to her girlfriend's words, and stared at the fallen bricks with despair, before she finally turned and ran off alone. Tears started to roll down her cheeks.

"NOW what?" Shiro asked, half rhetorically.

"HELP!" Rizavi's scream cut into their thoughts.

"That's Nadia!" Curtis tensed.

"Go help her!" Shiro patted him on the back.

"But you guys--" Curtis stalled.

"We'll be fine!" Allura shook her head.

Curtis sighed, and reluctantly ran off. Shiro and Allura turned back to face the inside of the courtyard. Several walkers were coming their way.

"Get ready..." Shiro murmured, pulling out a knife.

Before either could kill one of the walkers, they were all shot to death. The pair stared in confusion until Jake ran up, Damien at his back.

"Hey, guys!" Jake called out.

"Jake! What's going--" Allura began.

"He saved my ass from walkers. Now we're trying to find a way out. Seems that's what everyone is doing!" Damien said.

"Come on, you guys. We can escape this way!" Jake waved them along.

"I need to find Adam and Keith!" Shiro claimed, exasperated.

"We'll find them after we get out. Right now we have to make sure WE make it." Allura insisted.

"Yes... Yes, you're right." Shiro nodded along.

"All set? Good, let's MOVE!" Jake shouted.

The four of them ran across the courtyard, toward the big gap in the wall. As they did, Jake watched as walkers swarmed Roman.

"HELP! HELP!!!" Roman screamed as walkers began to tear into his shoulders and arms.

"ROMAN!!!" Virgil sobbed as Holly pulled him to safety.

Roman lifted his own gun up to his temple and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. His face fell to one of hopelessness at the realization.

"Jake, what are you doing, dude?!" Damien stopped and turned around to see Jake aiming his gun.

"Sorry, man. Bad way to go." Jake whispered, before he fired a merciful shot into Roman's head.

With that done, he turned around and continued running after Allura, Shiro, and Damien.

RIzavi grunted as she held back two walkers, one with each hand. Her back was pushed against the wall near the front of the school. One of the walkers was then shot through the side of the head. Curtis ran up and slammed the other walker away from her. Riazvi took out her knife and stabbed it in the front of the head.

"Where the hell is everyone?!" Rizavi coughed as the dust from the two cave-ins clouded the air.

"We're getting the hell out of dodge!" Curtis explained, "Let's find some others and GO!"

"SHIRO?!" Adam's voice cut in from nearby.

"Come on!" Rizavi waved Curtis along.

Adam trudged around the side of the school, shooting two walkers.

"TAKASHI?!" Adam screamed.

More walkers appeared in front of him. Before he could shoot them, Curtis and Rizavi emptied both of their guns into all of them.

"Adam!" Curtis put a hand on his shoulder.

"I can't... I can't find Takashi. Did you--" Adam's eyes were wide as he looked into the other man's.

"He got away! I-I think he's with Allura!" Curtis assured him.

A storm of gunfire in their direction made them all duck.

"Are you fucking serious?!" Rizavi growled as she quickly reloaded her gun.

Virgil and two other soldiers were shooting them, as well as Grace, Shay, and Colleen. Rizavi aimed her gun and fired off three shots. Two of them hit a woman, first in her chest, then the second in her head.

"Over there!" Adam pointed to where the other three were behind cover.

Colleen and Grace fired at Virgil and the other soldier, while Shay shot at the walkers in other directions. Adam, Curtis, and Rizavi ran over just as Colleen shot the other soldier in the head.

"Come on! We gotta go!" Curtis encouraged.

"You guys go! I'll hold them off!" Colleen shook her head.

"What?! Y-You can't!" Shay protested.

"I need to make sure my kids are safe!" Colleen insisted as she ducked down.

Grace took her place, firing at Virgil. Virgil was enraged, sobbing and grimacing as he unloaded bullets in their direction.

"FUCK YOU! MY BROTHER DIED BECAUSE OF YOU!" Virgil screamed.

Grace took aim and fired, hitting Virgil in the neck. Virgil stumbled back and brought his hands to his neck, before promptly falling down to the ground on his face. He was bled out only seconds later.

"GO! NOW!" Colleen demanded as William and a few other soldiers took Virgil's place.

"Did you see Star get out?!" Shay asked frantically, "I haven't seen her since we started shooting!"

"And Jade and Lukas! When Avery-- I lost them!" Grace stammered.

"No time to think about that! We just have to assume they're okay!" Adam grabbed both of their arms, "I have to do that for 'Kashi..."

"It's now or never, guys!" Colleen groaned.

"Stay safe, Colleen!" Curtis called over his shoulder as the group of them, sans Colleen, stood and fled for the open hole in the wall.

Colleen took a deep breath, and proceeded to continue her firefight.

Lorenzo was still ducked near the entrance of the school. Luckily, no one was shooting in his direction anymore. He could see Colleen in the distance, taking most of the gunfire.

"Help! Please, s-somebody! Help me!" Spencer called out from nearby.

Lorenzo turned his head, seeing the teen being tackled by a walker, another one fast approaching. He simply stared for a few seconds, but hearing the desperate pleas for help caused him to stand and hurry in his direction. First, Lorenzo smacked his gun against the standing walker's temple. With that one out of the way, he grabbed the walker on top of Spencer and yanked it away, before stomping its head in. Spencer panted hard and propped himself up on his elbows.

"Thank you... Thank you." Spencer looked up at the other teen.

"You can thank me by helping me get out of here... this place is going down." Lorenzo sighed, "We can meet up with the others once we get somewhere safe. I've still gotta find Bryan. You gonna help me or what?"

"I will." Spencer nodded as Lorenzo helped him stand.

"Good. You owe all of us for what you participated in, not just me." Lorenzo softly glared at him, handing him a knife.

"I know. I'm going to be better." Spencer stated with confidence.

The two of them then turned and made a run for the back of the school to find a way out.

Pidge and Matt sprinted along the side of the school. A few soldiers were firing on them.

"Faster!" Matt urged.

A bullet soared through the air, and grazed along the back of Matt's head.

"AHH, FUCK!" Matt yelled, and clutched his head.

"Matt, come here!" Pidge grabbed his waist and pulled him along.

Ahead of them was their mother, still firing on the other soldiers. Pidge and Matt ran up behind her.

"Mom! MOM!" Pidge shouted.

"Katie?! MATT!" Colleen turned and saw Matt with his bloody hand.

"He got grazed. We need to go!" Pidge insisted.

"We can't let them win!" Colleen growled, shooting a woman in the chest.

"Look around! Everyone else is gone!" Pidge shouted, "If we stay! We DIE!"

Colleen ducked down behind cover, and stared into the eyes of her two pleading children. She looked down at her gun.

"Stand up and get your brother out of here." Colleen muttered.

"Mom, what--" Pidge started.

"DO AS I SAY." Colleen raised her voice as she stood up yet again.

Pidge and Matt stared at her in horror as she walked out of cover, firing nonstop.

"Go, Pidge, GO!" Matt groaned as the two of them stood and hobbled for the escape in the wall.

Colleen shot a man to death through the torso several times, then hit another man right next to William in the head.

"COME AND GET SOME, PRICKS!!" Colleen screamed.

William, who had jumped to the side for cover, watched her shoot until she ran out of ammo. As she quickly reloaded, he stepped out of cover and aimed his pistol. He fired. The bullet made contact with her chest. Colleen was sent back from the impact. Her head hit the wooden picnic table just behind her, and she went limp.

Pidge and Matt turned around just as the shot sounded. Both of them nearly collapsed.

"MOOOOOOM!!!" Pidge let out a blood-curdling shriek.

"NO NO NO NO!" Matt cried alongside her.

Both of them turned and continued outside the walls. As soon as they passed the perimeter, Rose appeared in front of them, her gun up.

"Stay where you are! Put your hands where I-- AGH!" Rose was cut off as Pidge instantly raised her gun and shot a bullet into the woman's shoulder.

Rose stumbled back, right into a pack of around a half dozen walkers. They quickly latched onto her limbs and neck and started to tear her apart.

"No! Wait, PLEASE! NOOOO!!" Rose screamed as she was pulled to the ground. Her stomach was quickly pulled open by the teeth and ragged fingers of the walkers as they feasted upon her insides.

Pidge and Matt sobbed loudly as they held each other and walked around the fresh body. More walkers crowded around them. Pidge aimed her gun, only to find no bullets came when she pulled the trigger. Before they were overwhelmed however, the telltale sound of a dog's bark filled their ears. Bae Bae came bolting out from the school, shoving into a walker as she tore past them all.

"B-Bae Bae. BAE BAE STOP! COME HERE, GIRL!" Pidge pleaded.

Bae Bae turned around from her position behind the walkers attacking Pidge and Matt. She growled, then barked at them as loud as she could. Sure enough, they stopped and turned to the new source of noise.

"NO!!! BAE BAE RUN!!!" Pidge screamed. She tried to wrestle away from Matt to help the dog, only for Matt to hold onto her.

"S-Stop! You can't die, too!" Matt's lip quivered as he spoke.

Bae Bae, however, was smarter than that. As soon as the walkers were close enough to her, she turned and bolted away, still barking. The agitated walkers followed after her.

"We can't let her--!" Pidge blubbered through tears.

"I know... I know. But we have to go. And get... somewhere safe." Matt winced after he spoke. He felt his head wound again and huffed.

The two siblings hurried away, while the walkers still there were busy with Rose's body.

Keith and James limped toward the back of the school. Keith sliced a walker's head in half. James shot one in the head. Keith thrust his sword into a walker's face. James pistol whipped a walker across the face. They repeated the process until they reached the back fence.

"You over first." James instructed.

"But I'm injured." Keith quizzed.

"Better to get you out first, then." James shrugged.

James let Keith step into his hands, to which he hoisted his leg high enough for him to grab the top of the chain link fence and roll over it.

"Can you make it?" Keith asked.

"Heh. 'Course I can." James rubbed his hands together, before jumping and and grabbing the fence.

He pulled himself up to the top, and quickly threw himself over the edge. Keith helped him stand up, and the two began limping away, James still supporting Keith.

"I'm sorry, man." James whispered.

Keith just kept his eyes straight forward.

At the front entrance of the school, Sam slipped inside the walls undetected. As she prepared to sneak around the side of the school, she noticed a man by himself up ahead of her, shooting walkers. Sam just shook her head and fired a bullet into the man's back. The soldier screamed and fell down, dying just as the walkers in front of him kneeled down to eat his body. Some of the walkers noticed Sam, to which she shot them in their heads as well.

"Shit, man... okay. Okay, fuck... gotta find Bryan. Gotta find Lorenzo." Sam muttered to herself as she sprinted past the distracted walkers alongside the school.

"There's too many walkers! We have to fall back!" Layla shouted as she shot two walkers in the head.

"We can't! Not until we have what we came for!" William scowled.

"We've lost too many people already!" Andy protested.

"He's right! We have to get outta here!" Peter added.

"I can't find Rose!" Donna exclaimed.

"Hang on! I'll help you look!" Holly grabbed Donna's arm and the two rushed off.

William looked into the sea of walkers and bodies. He cursed and slammed his gun against the metal wall.

"FUCK! Ready the cars! We're cutting our losses!" William ordered.

Several of the soldiers began to fall back.

"Hurry it up, people!" Tyler waved everyone along.

In the middle of the courtyard, Freddie's body began to twitch. His chest lurched, and his eyes opened to reveal milky gray ones. Several feet away, Virgil sat up as well. Blood was still leaking from the fatal wound in his neck. The two turned soldiers stood up and began ambling around with the other walkers.

Near the burning cars and the wreckage of the demolished RV, Silvio's body lay unmoving. That is, until his fingers twitched. The young boy's dead eyes opened, and a small snarl left his lips. Walker Silvio shambled to his feet, and joined the crowd of walkers that yet again infested the courtyard of the now in ruins Redwood Boarding School.

Keith and James stopped momentarily. They turned around, faintly seeing the smoke from the fires rising above the trees.

"Come on." Keith murmured with almost no emotion, "We have to keep going."

James silently complied, and the two kept on.

On the other side of the forest, Pidge and Matt leaned on each other while they walked. Tears dripped down Pidge's face, creating a small wet trail as they went.

"Don't look back, okay? Keep moving forward. Keep moving forward." Matt whispered into her ear.

Neither of them looked back to see the smoke and the flames polluting their former home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i made myself depressed writing this why would i think of something like this um


	10. The Calm After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The split groups reflect on what and who they've lost as they try to reunite. One of the groups makes a shocking discovery.

Pidge and Matt walked down an empty road, knives drawn. Hours had passed since the fight. Matt scanned the treelines on either side of them while Pidge walked in front.

"Pidge, we've been walking nonstop, where are we going?" Matt called up to her.

Pidge said nothing. Her knife was clutched close to her chest.

"PIDGE--" Matt started, before the sound of growling cut him off.

A walker came stumbling out of the treeline to their right. Matt readied his knife, but Pidge moved first.

"I got it." Pidge stated in a low voice.

Matt didn't have time to object before Pidge stormed ahead, toward the walker. She first kicked out the walker's knee. When it fell to the ground, she stuck the knife through its eye socket and pulled it out just as quick.

Matt stopped just beside her, while she rolled the body over, checking the back pockets.

"What are you doing?" Matt asked, arms crossed.

"We have no food, no water, and hardly any ammo left. The body looks fresh, so maybe she has something." Pidge answered, her tone bitter.

She digs deep into the first pocket, and then smiled.

"Here we go, jackpot!" Pidge grinned. Her hand retracted, and she proudly presented four pistol bullets.

"It's something." Matt remarked, taking them.

Pidge flipped the body back over and checked the side pocket closer to her.

"Hell yeah, think we got somethin' else." Pidge smiled to herself.

She pulled the object from the pocket, and upon seeing what it was, her smile fell. It was a photo. The walker, when she had been alive, with two young children, a boy and a girl. They looked so happy together. Pidge's heart rate increased, and she tucked the photo away in the walker's pocket rapidly.

"Pidge, wh--?" Matt went to ask.

"It's nothing, it's NOTHING!" Pidge snapped, before she fell silent. Matt stood behind her, unsure of what to say, until he noticed her shoulders heaving. Then, he heard the tiny sniffles.

"She's dead... Sh-She's dead, she's DEAD!" Pidge began to sob, "And it's because of me!"

"Pidge, no! She--" Matt knelt down beside her.

"BULLSHIT! You think they would've attacked if I hadn't cut in? All those bodies... even from their side. I started that." Pidge rolled over on her side.

"Don't give me any of that crap." Matt hissed, "If you think for one second that the LUNATIC who terrorizes our school for months and lies to his own people and HITS HIS OWN CHILD would've done things peacefully WILLINGLY, then you aren't Katie Marie Holt. You know things would've gone sour anyway. The positive here is, at least you managed to save the lives you did."

"But the people that DIED because of this? I can't-- I can't just forget about them." Pidge responded.

"I'm not saying you have to!" Matt exclaimed, "All I'm saying is that right now, you can't let it cloud your mind. And besides, you're still my baby sister. It's my job to cheer you up."

Pidge lightly scoffed, standing up with the help of Matt.

"Don't call me your baby sister. I could kick your ass if I wanted." Pidge pointed up at him.

"Not denying that. Not at all." Matt put his hands in the air.

He waved her forward, and she followed.

"Let's just hope everyone else made it out." Pidge sighed.

Lance, Nadia, and Star were walking through a thick wooded area.

"I don't think the walkers are following us anymore. I don't hear them." Star informed them.

"That's good." Lance nodded, "That's the last thing we need right now. With no food, no water, barely any ammo left."

"We... We could fight them, I bet." Nadia piped up, her gun still in hand.

Lance stared down at her, still in shock over her actions.

"Nadia--" Lance started.

"I can do it!" Nadia glared up at him, "I stopped that lady from hurting you! I can stop walkers, too!"

Lance and Star exchanged an uneasy glance.

"I think I see a clearing up ahead. I'll go... scope it out." Star gave a knowing nod to Lance as she slowly walked away.

Once they were alone, Lance knelt down in front of Nadia and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Nadia... why did you do that?" Lance asked her.

"I had to! You were stuck, a-and she was about to hurt you! James taught me how to use a gun, and I used it! I SAVED you!" Nadia stamped her foot on the ground.

"Yes, you did! But that's the problem. YOU shouldn't have to save me! You're still a little girl. Your mother is gone, your... your father... is gone, too." Lance stopped himself briefly, "If your _abuela_ and Aunt Vero didn't make it, either... I'm gonna be all that's left to protect you. I don't want you putting yourself in danger like that ever again. I couldn't save S-- ...just please. Promise me, that you will stay out of harm's way?"

Nadia looked down, not saying anything.

"PLEASE, Nadia. Please... we lost so much today." Lance began to cry, "I don't want to end up losing you, too. I can't-- I can't fail you like I failed your Uncle Marco, like Aunt Rachel, like your mother, like your father, like... Silvio."

"O-Okay, Uncle Lance." Nadia sniffled after a moment. Both of their cheeks stained with tears.

Nadia extended her arms, and Lance wrapped her in his.

"I love you, _mi sobrinita_." Lance whispered, " _Siempre te querré._ "

Star then walked back over to the pair.

"It's all clear up ahead. Let's keep going." Star said.

"Great. Thank you." Lance stood up fully and took Nadia's hand, "Come on."

As the three of them walked along, Star slipped over next to Lance, and leaned toward him.

"I hope whatever you two talked about resonated with her. Growing up with the idea that... killing is normal? That won't be good for her." Star whispered.

Lance looked down at Nadia, who was walking contently by his side.

"I hope so, too." Lance replied.

They reached the clearing in the trees, and saw that it was a road.

"What do you think? Walk along the road, or stay in the trees?" Lance looked in either direction.

"The trees have more cover. We'd be able to hear something coming up on us quicker." Star shrugged.

"True..." Lance nodded along.

"BUT, the road will most likely get us to a landmark faster." Star countered her own point.

"ALSO true..." Lance sighed.

"...Why not try the woods first? See if we get anywhere? If not, circle back to the road?" Star suggested.

"Sure." Lance agreed, "We have all the time in the world as it is. C'mon."

Lance waved the two younger girls along as they crossed the road and disappeared back into the brush.

Lorenzo drove his knife into a walker's eye and shoved the corpse back. Behind him, Spencer swung his knife at a walker. On the third swing, he managed to penetrate the side of its head, killing it.

"Heh, gotcha." Spencer declares triumphantly.

"Don't get cocky on me. Stay focused." Lorenzo reminded him while he shoved a walker's head into a sharp tree branch sticking out.

Spencer shoved the last walker down on the ground.

"Here!" Spencer called.

Lorenzo hurried over, and drove his knife down into the top of its head. The two teens stood back up and caught their breath.

"See? We're... just fine." Spencer panted, hands on his knees.

"Could've gone a little smoother." Lorenzo observed the roughly half dozen bodies littered around them.

"Yeah, if you just used the guns." Spencer remarked, "Or let ME have one."

"Are you serious? At this rate, you're probably our group most distrusted person, and that's coming from one of the people who was held at gunpoint and almost KILLED by these same people!" Lorenzo scoffed.

"Look, I know what I did! I understand that I was fucking stupid! How am I supposed to show that I'm not like Jonas if you can't even trust me to do it?!" Spencer threw his hands in the air.

"Redemption is a slippery slope. You usually start out clawing your way up." Lorenzo said.

"Whatever, man. I'm telling you, I'm doing my best with what I got." Spencer insisted.

The two of them started walking back along the narrow road.

"Who else do you think made it?" Spencer suddenly asked, breaking their minutes long silence.

"I... don't know. I just need to tell myself Bryan made it, at the very least. I can't think about the alternative." Lorenzo squeezed his eyes shut.

"I saw Maddie a-and Avery... they were inside the RV when he-- God..." Spencer held his stomach.

"Don't. Don't talk about the death." Lorenzo shut him down.

"I'm sorry. They were my friends, you know. At least, somewhat. I just hope that they didn't die thinking I was an asshole." Spencer's eyes trailed down to the ground.

"If they've known you for this long, I doubt they could change their minds within only a few hours." Lorenzo assured him.

"Yeah, but I just--" Spencer stopped when a walker lunged out from the trees. It grabbed onto his arm, which caused him to shriek and stumble back.

Lorenzo sprang into action. He yanked the walker's hand away from Spencer, then quickly dispatched of it by stabbing it up through its chin.

"Shit, there's more!" Spencer groaned.

"Weird, they're going that way." Lorenzo gestured to the other side of the road, where around four other walkers were stumbling along around the corner.

"Hey, there's something over there! On the ground!" Spencer pointed to a small black object lying at the intersection ahead.

Lorenzo stabbed the other walker in the head, before he turned and saw what the other boy was referring to.

"Come on!" Lorenzo pulled him along, the two running for the intersection.

Lucky for them, the walkers didn't notice either of them. Upon reaching the corner, they came to a stop in front of what Spencer saw; a black backpack.

"Looks like our luck is changing." Lorenzo remarked, picking up the backpack.

"What's inside?" Spencer wondered.

Lorenzo opened the zipper, and nearly dropped it in surprise.

"Well, this is certainly a change in luck." Lorenzo chuckled.

"What!" Spencer repeated.

"See for yourself." Lorenzo tilted the bag so Spencer could look in.

Inside was plenty of medical supplies. Bandages, a spool of thread for stitches, medication, pills, and more.

"Holy SHIT!" Spencer almost laughed, when he suddenly gasped, "BEHIND YOU!"

A walker grabbed Lorenzo from behind, however the long haired boy headbutted the walker with the back of his head, before turning around and shooting it straight in the face. Both boys freeze.

"Oh, no..." Lorenzo turned to face Spencer.

A congregation of walkers emerged from around the corner.

"Go into the trees! We can lose them in there!" Spencer shouted.

The two of them raced back in the other direction, then ducked into the trees on the other side of the road. A little ways into the wooded area, more walkers came into view.

"Aw, fuck." Spencer growled.

Lorenzo walked up to a lone walker, smacking it across the face with the end of his gun, then bringing it down over its head. The walker fell flat, unmoving.

"Just go around them!" Spencer ushered.

Before either could make a move, one of the walkers was killed with a sharpened wooden staff jabbed through the side of its head. They turned their heads in shock, seeing a young hispanic girl, around their age, yank the wooden staff from the walker's head, then jam it into the back of another walker's head.

Lorenzo snapped out of it, and turned, promptly swinging his own knife into a walker behind him. The girl stabbed the final walker in front of them, which cleared their path.

"We're clear, let's go! Thank you for the help!" Lorenzo waved to the girl.

They were about to turn and run, when she held out an alarmed hand.

"Wait! Stop! Please! I need that backpack back!" She pleaded.

"This... is yours?" Spencer raised an eyebrow.

"Yes! These damn _muertos_ snuck up on me and made me drop it! I ran into the trees and was going to circle back to it! One of my friends is asthmatic, he needs the inhaler that's in there!" She cried.

Lorenzo looked at Spencer.

"We can't just take this." Lorenzo muttered.

"...You're right." Spencer agreed.

Lorenzo slumped the bag off his shoulders.

"Sorry, here you go. We didn't mean to try and steal it." Lorenzo handed the bag off to her.

"It's okay. You couldn't have known." The girl took the bag and slipped it on, "My name's Maria. Maria Nuñez."

Lorenzo looked behind them, seeing the crowd of walkers from earlier coming toward them.

"Wherever you're headed, looks like we'll accompany you." Lorenzo offered.

"Thank you." Maria breathed a big sigh of relief, "I still have a few miles to go to get back to them. I don't think me and this stick is enough to get me there."

The three of them broke out running in the direction opposite of the walkers. 

The door to a house swung open. Shiro and Jake burst inside, guns drawn.

"You see any walkers?" Shiro asked quietly.

"Nothing in the living room. How about the kitchen?" Jake informed.

"I don't see any bodies. Looks like the main floor is clear." Shiro deduced, before turning to the door, "It's okay, guys!"

Allura and Damien appeared behind them as the former two walk further into the house.

"What are we doing going inside a house? We need to be looking for everyone else." Allura complained.

"We're in no shape to move. We have barely any supplies, and we've been running for the better part of... two hours, maybe?" Shiro explained.

"True that. I'm tired as fuck." Jake slumped down on one of the couches in the living room, letting his rifle fall flat on the floor.

"Fine. Then you all can stay here, and I'll go off on my own!" Allura went to go for the door, only for Damien to reach out and grab her arm.

"Hey, we can't just go running off alone!" Damien exclaimed.

"He's right. We're all split up as it is, the LAST thing we're doing is splitting off even more." Shiro crossed his arms.

"Sure. Right. Let's just sit here while everyone else is out there, maybe dying!" Allura stormed off into the living room, past Jake.

"Allura! Allura, come on!" Damien chased after her.

Shiro sighed deeply, his shoulders sagging. Jake looked over at him.

"You are right, you know. She's just upset." Jake assured him.

"I know, and I get it, I really do. I want more than anything to find Adam and Keith, let alone everyone else. But... we need time to think of a game plan." Shiro huffed.

"Exactly. Just give Allura a bit, maybe Damien can help get through to her." Jake surmised.

"Maybe..." Shiro rubbed his metal arm, "In the meantime, wanna... check the upstairs with me?"

"Sure thing." Jake grabbed his rifle off the ground and headed off to the stairs with Shiro.

Damien raced up behind Allura, who was crying in the corner of the house's dining room.

"Yo, Allura... are you okay?" Damien reached out for her.

"No, I'm not fucking okay! My girlfriend is ALONE out there! She-She could be MILES away by now, looking for us in the wrong direction." Allura sobbed.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay. We're going to find everybody who made it. I-I don't know how yet, but we will." Damien attempted to calm her.

"The chances of that are ridiculously small." Allura rolled her eyes, before she froze, "I... I'm never going to see her again. I'm never going to see Romelle AGAIN!"

Allura backed herself against the wall as her breathing rate increased.

"A-Allura! Allura, calm--!" Damien stuttered.

"No... no no no NO! NO!!!" Allura began to loudly sob as she slid down the wall until she reached a sitting position.

Damien knelt down by her and wrapped an arm over her shoulder as she cried.

"Listen, you-- you can't think that way. This is the first time I've ever been away from everyone from the school. Grace and Jade, they've been my best friends for years. I can't imagine not having them around, so I just tell myself that I will see them again, no matter what." Damien said.

"This... This is the first time we've been separated. Since this all started." Allura realized.

"Ah, your first time, too." Damien nodded, understanding, "How about... you and I take our minds off of the crushing weight of... everything, and see if we can't find some good loot around here?"

Allura looked up from the ground.

"...I guess we could. Not like we're going anywhere anytime soon." Allura stood up alongside Damien.

"All right! Cool! Let's try the kitchen first!" Damien hopped into the kitchen from the dining room, looking around.

Damien opened some cupboards below the sink.

"Anything?" Allura crossed her arms.

"...Nothing yet." Damien slumped sadly, opening up a higher cupboard, "Maybe this house was ransacked a while..."

Damien trailed off as soon as his eyes landed on the food stash sitting inside the upper cupboard. Allura walked over alongside him.

"Well how about that." Damien murmured.

"Yeah... how about it." Allura repeated, a tiny smile forming.

Upstairs, Shiro and Jake poked their heads inside room after room. Nothing was in them every time. When they reached the end of the hallway, Jake looked out of the window that was over the road. A few stray walkers ambled around, no meal in sight.

"I know how Allura feels." Jake said after their long silence, "I've been feeling it all this time."

"What? With who? Curtis? I know you two are good friends." Shiro wondered.

"Well, yes, he's like my best friend, well, Alicia was, before she left us... but I'm talking about someone else." Jake shook his head.

"Well, who?" Shiro gave Jake his full attention.

"My... husband. I got married pretty young, but it was honestly worth it." Jake chuckled, remembering the past, "His name is Drew, and he is either somewhere on the other side of the fucking country, or... he's dead."

"Why would he be so far away?" Shiro was confused, "He doesn't... live closer to the Garrison with you?"

"He has family in New Hampshire; where we're both from. He couldn't just leave them. I told him I'd be gone for... a year at most. I visited on holidays and any other times I could. The Garrison paid all my flight expenses. But... then everything hit, and I was still in Arizona. I tried to call him for three days after everything collapsed." Jake recalled.

Shiro bowed his head out of respect. Jake cleared his throat.

"I know there's no chance of me seeing him again. I've made my peace with that. So what I am gonna do, is I'm gonna get you back to Adam, Keith. Get Allura back to Romelle, get all of us back to everyone. No matter what." Jake declared. His tone was dead serious.

"I... appreciate the help. Very much so. Thank you, Jake." Shiro said after a few seconds.

Just then, they heard Damien shout from downstairs.

"Guys! Come down here! Guess what we just found! We sure as hell aren't going hungry for a while!" Damien laughed.

Shiro and Jake's faces lit up, and they smiled to one another.

"The odds are changing, my friend." Shiro grinned, before the two of them jogged to the stairs.

Veronica and Marcus walked side by side along the road. The thick wooded areas on either side were finally beginning to recede now that they were on a main road. Nancy lagged behind the two of them, her entire body slumped forward while she walked. Faint sobs could be heard coming from her. Veronica turned to look at her.

"Mom? Mom, you have to keep up with us." Veronica ushered her along.

Nancy said nothing. She didn't even acknowledge her daughter.

"Mom." Veronica repeated, more firm.

" _¿Que quieres?_ " Nancy finally responded, still not looking up.

"We need you to stay focused. We won't make it if you don't watch out behind us." Veronica answered.

" _No puedo._ " Nancy squeezed her eyes.

" _¿Y por qué no?_ We don't get to just sit out anymore." Veronica questioned testily.

"Because my children are DEAD!" Nancy suddenly yelled, "My grandson... all shot to death by those _hijos de PUTA_!!!"

The three of them stop walking.

"Marco... Silvio... Luis. I'm so sorry. I failed you, I failed you all." Nancy sobbed.

Veronica watched her mother cry, before turning to Marcus.

"Can you keep an eye out for a minute?" Veronica asked.

"Sure thing. I got you covered." Marcus agreed.

Veronica knelt down in front of her mother, who had fallen to her knees.

"Mom..." Veronica began.

"I FAILED them, Vero! I'm failing you! And Lance... I'm supposed to protect all of you... and yet I can't even protect myself." Nancy breathed in deeply.

"You didn't fail anybody," Veronica insisted, "They all fought for us. Hell, even-- even Silvio did!"

"And don't forget, Lance and Nadia are still out there." Marcus added.

"Exactly. It's not just us. But it is UP to us to get out of here in one piece. We're being given a shot, another CHANCE! Maybe... our family didn't get those, but that doesn't mean we have to waste ours." Veronica continued, "Trust me, Mom, I'm... beating myself up, telling myself I could've done more. How do you think I was feeling when I was told my sister was dead, and I never got to see her again?"

" _Dios mio_... you're right. You're right." Nancy agreed, "I just... need time."

"And that's okay. We all will once we get back together. But we need your help. _Por favor, Mamá._ " Veronica softly pleaded, with a small smile.

"I know you want to get back with Lance and Nadia, just as much as I want to see Hunk again." Marcus looked up at the sky wistfully.

"So, come on, let's put some miles between us and here." Veronica offered a hand to her mother.

Nancy stared at her now eldest child, and took her hand.

"I love you, Veronica. Don't ever forget that." Nancy commented as the two stood back up.

"I love you, too." Veronica sighed happily, "Here, take out your knife, in case we run into walkers."

Nancy pulled out her knife as the three of them continued down the road. As they crest a small incline in the road, Marcus spotted something up ahead.

"Hey, you guys see that?" Marcus looked to them, and pointed at what he was seeing.

"Is... that a body?" Veronica squinted.

The three of them take a moment to approach the unmoving mystery object. It was, in fact, a body.

"It's a dead walker." Marcus said.

"...I can see that." Veronica stared blankly at it.

"Don't you see what this means?" Marcus looked at the two women.

"None of us killed it..." Veronica slowly realized.

"Exactly! So if it wasn't us--" Marcus began.

"There's a chance it was someone from the school." Nancy finished for him.

"Holy shit... come on! If it is someone from our group, maybe we can catch up to them!" Veronica quickly began to power walk down the road.

"You heard your daughter." Marcus remarked to Nancy with a small, hopeful grin.

"Yes, I did." Nancy nodded.

The two older adults followed after Veronica.

Adam stood guard, just outside a run down highway overpass. Sitting down and leaning against the cement wall underneath the overpass were Rizavi, Curtis, and Grace. Shay was pacing back and forth, biting her nails.

"We-We have to move. We need to go."Shay repeated, "Star is out there. Alone, maybe. I can't-- I can't--"

"Shay, hey... calm down, alright? I'm sure she's fine." Rizavi walked up to her.

"How can you know?!" Shay fired back.

"I don't, but--!" Rizavi stammered.

"Then don't lie to me." Shay glared.

"I'm not lying!" Rizavi leaned back, "I'm just trying to be a good friend here. Star's a tough girl, I'm positive that she--"

"She's THIRTEEN! She can hardly kill walkers!" Shay yelled.

"HEY! Do you not have faith in her? She's been training for however long. You said she can BARELY kill walkers, which means she CAN, so she still has a chance. Not to mention if she got away with some others. First of all, you need to RELAX. Second, don't immediately write her off like that. How do you think she'd feel knowing that?" Rizavi placed her hands on her hips.

"...I'm supposed to be there to protect her. I have to be." Shay started to cry lightly.

"And we're going to find her again. Right?" Rizavi placed a hand on her shoulder now.

Shay took a deep breath, and untensed her shoulders.

"R-Right." Shay calmly answered.

"There ya go, that's the spirit." Rizavi grinned, before turning around to face Curtis and Grace, "So, uh, anyone got any ideas on where to go?"

"I'm lost." Curtis shrugged.

Grace didn't say anything. She had her arms hugged around her body, and she was looking down at the asphalt.

"Uhh, Grace?" Rizavi waved a hand out.

"...Do you ever feel like you failed all of the people you're supposed to be leading?" Grace suddenly asked.

"Well... I've never really been the leading type--" Rizavi looked away, unsure.

"It's not a good feeling. At all. I-I can't even close my eyes without thinking back to all the things I could have done." Grace vented, "Part of me wonders if I even DESERVE to see their faces again. My girlfriend... my best friend, Lukas, Avery, Tara, Parker, Maddie... I let them all down."

"Did you not hear me with Shay? You can't think like that, or else--" Rizavi started.

"But it's TRUE! If I had done something about Jonas sooner, Tara would be alive. EVERYONE would be alive because he wouldn't have brought those walkers down on us. We would have been better prepared for when William and his people attacked. Lance's brother could have survived. Avery and Maddie could have survived, and we'd all still have a HOME!" Grace screamed.

"H-Hey... keep the voices down. We don't need to attract any more walkers!" Curtis warned.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Grace lowered her voice, "I didn't-- mean to yell at you. I just need some time alone."

"I understand. Just be careful." Rizavi nodded, before she backed off, returning to be near Shay.

Curtis turned his head, watching Adam from afar. The latter was still standing out in the open, staring at the open roads.

"I'm gonna go see if he needs a break. Yell if there's an emergency." Curtis said.

"Sure thing." Shay nodded.

Curtis stood up and made his away up behind Adam. He didn't even react when Curtis walked up beside him.

"Are you watching for people or walkers?" Curtis asked.

"Others may have made it out. They could be right behind us." Adam replied.

"You shouldn't exhaust yourself." Curtis worried.

"I'm fine. Just go back and sit down." Adam waved him off.

Curtis huffed, and walked around to face Adam.

"Look, we haven't had a chance to properly talk since back at the Garrison. I can tell you're still tense with me. Just get it out, and clear the air." Curtis looked deadpan into Adam's eyes.

"Was I seriously not enough to you? Holding you back?" Adam finally asked.

"Not at ALL! I tried to tell you for so long that those were nothing but RUMORS!" Curtis exclaimed, exasperated.

"Rumors. Heh." Adam lightly scoffed.

"What, you still don't believe me? Look, sure! We were young, bright cadets at the Garrison, where we're supposed to be broken down into obedient soldiers and pilots and shit like that. But we made each other happy in all of that. Then... you just threw it away, for what? Something someone ELSE told you?"

"You weren't denying it at first, which felt pretty telling to me at the time." Adam retorted.

"I was defensive because I was in shock that my boyfriend would actually think that I would say those things." Curtis threw his arms out, "Why do you think I transferred to major in communications after we broke up? Seeing you look at me in the halls whenever we'd pass every morning and night with such hate... I couldn't bare it. Now, look, all I want is closure. Assurance that you still don't hate me after all this time. I'm not looking to get back together again, it's done. You're with Shiro. I just need to know that our time together isn't TAINTED in your mind."

Adam took in Curtis' words, and waited before speaking again.

"...It's not." Adam finally admitted, "I realized back at the Garrison I was being stupid. I guess I just jump to conclusions too often, and... get a little hot headed. I am sorry for how I treated you. You deserved... better."

"Thank you. And it's okay. Honestly, I'm just relieved that we know that's behind us." Curtis sighed.

"Yeah, you and me both, I guess." Adam agreed.

"So... hug it out?" Curtis suggested, with a small smile.

"Oh, come on..." Adam chuckled.

"We can't truly patch things up without a hug to seal the deal!" Curtis protested.

"Oh, fine!" Adam laughed.

Curtis silently cheered as the two embraced. When they pulled back, Curtis looked at Adam's arms.

"You... have strong grip." Curtis noted.

"Yeah... Shiro tells me that a lot." Adam smirked.

Curtis smacked him on the shoulder and laughed loudly. Adam joined in a second later.

"This feels nice. Being friends again." Adam admitted.

"It does." Curtis was still smiling, "Hey, what do you say we cover some ground? Keep ourselves moving."

"Are you sure that's a good idea now?" Adam wondered.

"Judging from our friends back there, too much time to stop and think isn't always great." Curtis explained.

"I see... moving on it is, then." Adam agreed.

The two turned around and walked back over to the three.

"Alright, we're gonna keep moving." Adam clasped his hands together.

"Where are we headed?" Grace asked in a low voice.

"Not sure. But it's best we keep on the move." Adam answered.

"Sweet. I'm ready to get some miles in." Rizavi smirked with confidence.

Adam looked over to Curtis, who gestured to the open road on the other side of the overpass.

"Well? Lead the way." Curtis said, smiling.

The courtyard of Redwood Boarding School was filled with dark smoke, dead bodies, fire, and walkers. William stepped among the bodies lying all around him. He briefly paused at a specific corpse. Luis'. Without a word, he spat down on it, and kept walking.

A few walkers eating a body took notice of him. They looked up from their meal and snarled. William raised his gun and quickly dispatched all of them. Upon approaching the body, he noticed a familiar pair of glasses lying crushed next to it. When he rolled the body over, he knew exactly who it was.

"Deb... no... NO!!!" William screamed upon discovering his wife's corpse.

Rage filled his eyes and lungs as he charged a walker in front of him. William used his gun and beat the walker's head in again, and again, and again.

"FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU!" William roared, although the anger was directed not at the walkers, but to the people. He'd seen the bullet hole.

The walker was long dead, but William continued to pound on it. That is, until a hand was placed on his shoulder.

"William! We need to GO!" John yelled to him over the faint gunfire against the walkers.

William stared down at the mutilated walker, then stood up with much reluctance, being led away by John. Other Plaht City soldiers linked up with them, running for the main gates where their vehicles were.

"Get to the cars, NOW!" William ordered anyone he saw shooting at the undead.

Near the entrance of the school, smoke billowed around the doors. One second later, they were kicked open with great force. Ryan burst through the smoke. He surveyed the carnage lying out in front of him.

Windy ran up behind him, and they froze in their tracks.

"Oh, shit..." Windy gasped.

"It's worse than I thought." Ryan muttered, "We still have to make it through. Come on, guys!"

Jade, Lukas, and Bryan came jogging out of the school as well.

"Oh, God..." Bryan teared up, "All these people..."

"Stay calm. We can't attract all these walkers." Jade hissed.

"Alright, just take it slow everyone..." Ryan ushered them all down the stairs, "As soon as we get to the open, we run--"

The sound of light walker growls from somewhere next to them made them all stop in their tracks.

"Shit!" Bryan whined.

"I've got it." Ryan pulled out his gun.

The walker in question came into view. Everyone's breath caught in their throat.

"S-Silvio... oh my fucking god." Jade covered her mouth at the tragic site.

"They shot a kid. They shot a fucking kid." Bryan felt a tear travel down their face.

The undead Silvio reached out at Ryan, who tightened his grip on the gun. He shakily raised it.

"I'm so sorry, kid." Ryan closed his eyes.

He waited until he felt Silvio's forehead touch the barrel of the gun, before he pulled the trigger. Silvio's head flung back, and he fell perfectly flat on the ground, officially put to rest.

"Jesus fuck." Windy looked away.

"We-- We should keep moving." Ryan stated while doing his best to keep his voice from wavering. He tucked his gun away, and instead pulled out his knife.

Outside the gates, at the cars, William turned at the sound of the gunshot.

"There are survivors." William mumbled.

"We don't have time to worry about that!" John insisted.

Then, Layla, Luna, Peter, and Donna came running from inside the school walls.

"Hurry, you guys!" Holly shouted as the first car began to drive away.

Layla and Luna reached the exit safely, and turned around for the others.

"Faster!" Donna yelled, pushing Peter ahead. Walkers were right on their tail.

Donna was almost there, when her foot caught a body, and she fell flat on her face.

"Donna! Shit!" Layla cried out.

"Go! GO!" Donna waved to Peter.

Donna aimed and shot a walker that was right above her. The body fell onto her, which knocked her gun out of her hands. Right as she pushed the walker off of her, three more knelt down and subsequently tore into her stomach.

"NO!" Peter cursed, "FUCK, DONNA!"

"Let's go, let's go! Get in already!" Andy yelled from the front seat of another truck.

"D-Donna!!!" Holly sobbed as Luna helped her climb into the back of Andy's truck, among many of the other surviving soldiers.

William hopped into car with John, but he turned to the remaining three.

"Take care of the people left. That's an order." William demanded.

"Got it, boss." Luna nodded.

William and Andy quickly sped away, leaving the three soldiers standing there.

Ryan led his team through the walker infested courtyard. Jade kicked a walker in the knee, before stabbing it in the brain. Bryan shoved a walker to the ground and left it. Windy jabbed their knife hand into two separate walkers. Halfway across the courtyard, the sound of a scream made Bryan specifically stop in place. It was a familiar scream.

Sure enough, when they looked to their left, they saw Sam pushing a walker back, before blowing its brains out. She turned and shot another one right in the face, but immediately after, her gun clicked.

"Son of a bitch!" Sam groaned as the walker snapped its teeth at her.

"Bryan, what are you doing?" Windy hissed.

"She's my friend! I have to help her!" Bryan protested.

"You're gonna get killed!" Jade added.

Bryan turned back to Sam. More walkers were gaining on her.

"Then I don't care." Bryan took off running.

"BRYAN! Dammit!" Windy shouted.

Bryan ran at a walker, and tackled it to the ground. They fell right next to Sam, who looked down at them in shock.

"Bryan?!" Sam exclaimed.

"Long time no see, huh?!" Bryan joked, stabbing the walker they tackled in the head.

They stood up next to Sam, and stabbed another walker in the face.

"There's an opening! Hurry!" Bryan pointed to a gap around the walkers, "If we can get back to my friends, we'll be okay!"

Sam raced around them, and ran in front of Bryan toward the others. Bryan was right behind her, until a walker grabbed them by the arm.

"FUCK OFF!" Bryan wrenched their arm out of its grip, but tripped and fell backwards.

"No! Come on, get up!" Sam encouraged while walkers began to block them off.

"Just keep going!" Bryan sat up, kicking a walker away. They rolled over and stood up just as another one attacked. They stabbed it in the head and threw the body at two more walkers.

Sam watched helplessly while Bryan got pushed further back. Most of the walkers were after them now.

"Just-- Just get to my friends! They'll help you!" Bryan shouted.

"But Bry--!" Sam tried to respond, but stopped upon seeing Bryan make a run for one of the gaps in the fallen wall. They were gone, "Shit..."

"Stop right there." Ryan's voice came from behind her.

Sam lowered her head, and raises her hands.

"Look, you don't gotta do this. There's biters everywhere, we can't--" Sam tried to reason.

"Shut up, and put your gun on the ground." Ryan ordered.

"Are you trying to get me to kill myself? That's suicide if I do that." Sam scoffed.

"And why should we care?" Ryan sneered.

"...Because Bryan saved her." Windy suddenly interjects.

"But... she's with the bad people." Lukas pointed out.

"So was Bryan. AND Lorenzo." Windy reminded them all, "If Bryan tried to save her, then we should be giving her a chance. Especially now that they're... gone."

"I hope they make it. The only reason I came here with them was to sneak both of them out and then stop the fight before it could begin. I was too late..." Sam lamented.

"Okay, no more time for this! We take her with us and let her prove her loyalty!" Jade dragged Ryan along.

Windy gestured for Sam to follow them.

"Don't get left behind." Windy lightly joked.

The five of them race through the rest of the courtyard. They don't waste energy on killing walkers, instead they simply dodge and weave through them, occasionally one of them will kick one down to incapacitate it.

"We're... We're almost... to the gate!" Jade panted.

A flurry of bullets suddenly rained down on them.

"Behind the wall! Go!" Ryan yelled.

Peter, Layla, and Luna stand outside the wall, firing in as soon as they saw them.

"Layla, get the car ready! We'll handle them!" Luna instructed.

"On it." Layla turned and sprinted to the last remaining car.

Behind the wall, Ryan pulled out his gun. As did Jade and Windy. Sam went for hers, but Jade stopped her.

"Nuh-uh. Not yet." Jade glared.

"You don't have to do this! We can just go our separate ways!" Windy shouted.

"No can do! You assholes killed my boyfriend, and now you've killed dozens more of us!" Luna shouted back.

"Both sides lost a lot today! Just go home, and we can just leave each other alone!" WIndy pleaded.

"Fuck that! We're ending this now!" Peter declared. With a loud cry, he began to run straight toward the wall, intending to surprise them.

"Peter, the hell are you doing?!" Layla called out from the car.

Windy was positioned right next to the gate opening. They turned their head, about to jump out.

"Windy--!" Ryan tried to stop them, but it was too late.

Windy spun out from the behind the wall, and put out both arms.

"Stop! You don't have to--!" Windy tried to beg as Peter ran straight at them.

Everyone froze as Peter, who was running too fast, ran straight up to Windy, despite trying to stop upon seeing them in front of her. Both parties looked down, and Windy saw the problem.

Their knife hand was stuck directly through Peter's chest.

"Oh, FUCK!" Windy cried, "I-I didn't mean to do that!"

Windy yanked their knife hand out of Peter, and the man fell to the ground, choking up blood.

"That's... not something you see every day." Sam remarked, surprised.

Windy knelt down by the barely alive man. They stared into his eyes, full of remorse.

"I'm so sorry." Windy murmured, before she took her knife arm and jabbed it down into Peter's forehead, stopping his suffering.

"They got Pete!" Luna exclaimed.

Ryan immediately peeked out and fired off a few shots at Luna, who jumped and ducked behind the car. The rest of Ryan's group slipped out from behind the wall and went to run, only for Luna to fire at a tree right next to them.

"Not one more step!" Luna demanded, "Guns on the ground! NOW!"

Everyone complied. Luna then noticed Sam awkwardly standing behind Windy.

"Sam! Shit, I didn't realize they had you! Are you hurt?!" Luna asked.

"Uhh... I'm fine." Sam answered.

"Good... now all of you, let her come through. Don't make any movements." Luna spat.

Sam slowly walked through the others.

"Follow my lead." Sam whispered to Ryan as she passed him, barely audible.

"We got her back, now let's just leave!" Layla's impatience grew.

"Please don't kill us!" Lukas whimpered while Jade shielded him.

Sam stepped behind Luna, and the latter trained her eyes on Windy.

"You. You killed Peter." Luna's lips turned to an unpleasant scowl.

"I... didn't mean to. You see, I got bit, and I lost my hand, so my boyfriend and a friend made me this knife hand thing like really recently, so I keep forgetting its there, and--" Windy rambled in a panic.

"Shut up! I don't care. The point is, you need to fucking pay." Luna aimed her gun at Windy's head.

"NO!" Ryan shouted.

"Luna!" Layla banged her fist on the side of the car.

All at once, Sam ran up and kicked Luna in the back. Ryan remembered what Sam said, and went for his gun.

"HEY--" Luna tried to reach out and stop him, but Sam kicked her down again.

Luna shoved Sam back, and stood up, just as Ryan stood up with his gun. He fired off three wild shots as he wrestled with Luna for control. He grunted, and used all possible force to tilt the gun toward Luna's chin.

"Fuck... you--" Luna spat in Ryan's face, just as he pulled the trigger. The bullet launched up through Luna's chin through the top of her head.

"NOOOOO!!!" Layla let out the loudest scream she had ever done.

Luna's body collapsed while Layla jumped into the vehicle, driving off alone. Ryan fired a few times, blasting out the rear windshield, but the car got away.

"That was... intense." Sam quipped.

"Thanks for the help." Ryan smiled a little.

"Guys, we've got some walkers in front of us." Windy warned.

Sure enough, just under a dozen walkers came out from the trees on the dirt road in front of the school.

"That's not all." Jade pointed behind them, where almost the entire congregation of walkers was now making its way toward them. Among the undead were the husks of Freddie and Virgil.

Ryan aimed his gun, only for it to click.

"I used up all my bullets!" Ryan's eyes widened.

Jade checked her gun.

"I've only got three!" Jade said.

"Two!" Windy held up her gun.

"Use them wisely!" Ryan flipped his gun around, ready to use it as a melee weapon.

Windy fired at the herd inside the school, dropping two walkers. Jade turned to the walkers coming from the road, dropping three of them to the ground.

"Well that did jack SHIT!" Jade rolled her eyes, growing alarmed.

The five of them backed up against a large tree.

"We can't let ourselves get trapped!" Jade shouted.

"J-Jade!" Lukas clung to her side.

"I've got you..." Jade consoled Lukas while Sam kicked and stomped a walker to death in front of them.

Just when the two groups of walkers merged, and were about to overwhelm the survivors, the sound of gunfire snapped them out of their focus. One by one, the walkers were massacred, being shot in the back of their heads. The undead Freddie fell to the ground dead, quickly followed by Virgil. When the last walker fell down, no longer moving, the group looked up.

Colleen Holt stood in the entrance of the school, gun in hand. She was panting hard, and sweat rolled down her face.

"Mrs. HOLT?!" Windy exclaimed.

Everyone ran over to her, just as Colleen stumbled forwards. Ryan and Jade caught her.

"How-How are you... ALIVE?!" Jade questioned incredulously, "We saw you..."

Colleen laughed a little, before wincing. She reached down and pulled up her shirt, showing the bulletproof vest she had been wearing the entire time.

"Fucker only caught me in the chest. Impact knocked me out, though. Must've hit my head, too..." Colleen breathed heavily, "Thank God for Grace and her stash, am I right?"

"Of all the miracles to happen." Windy chuckled.

"I may have bruised a rib or two. Maybe all of them. But... I? Am ALIVE." Colleen declared with triumphance, "...And my kids think I'm dead."

"Not for long. As soon as we get out of here, we're going to find a way to link back up with everyone." Ryan explained.

"Do we-- AGH-- do we know where we're going?" Colleen wondered.

"We don't have a set rendezvous point... it's kind of going to be a game of chance." Jade revealed.

"I guess I can't complain. I already cheated death, what's a little people scavenger hunt?" Colleen panted.

"Can you walk, Mrs. Holt?" Windy helped her stand up straight.

"I... I think so, just don't go too fast." Colleen winced.

The group turned to face the open dirt road leading away from the school. Lying on the ground next to them, was not only Luna's fresh body, but Marco's. Lukas stared at it for a lingering moment, before Jade tugged on his arm.

"C'mon, we're gonna head out now." Jade informed him softly.

"Okay." Lukas nodded.

He tore his gaze from Marco's corpse, and followed after the others, beginning their journey away from the still burning school.

The six of them walked along the dirt road. They were nearing the turnoff onto the main road. Jade was walking behind Sam, her fingers ready on her knife. Sam noticed.

"You don't have to act like I'm going to turn and stab you." Sam commented, "I literally helped you kill Luna. What more do you want from me?"

"I know, I admit that you helped us. But... I'm still going to be careful." Jade replied.

"...Understandable." Sam looked up at the sky, exasperated.

"Come on, Jade. Maybe just be a little nicer? Like you said, she helped us. At least be nice." Lukas suggested.

"Maybe. I just want to be sure that this isn't some long con." Jade murmured.

Colleen looked over at Ryan and Windy. She was now walking better on her own.

"Who is she?" Colleen raised an eyebrow.

"One of Bryan's friends from the community that they're both from. Bryan was with us, but... they ran to save her, and they did. And they got separated... they didn't die, they're just... gone. Like everyone else right now." Windy explained.

"I see. But how do we know she's trustworthy?" Colleen continued.

"Well, like you heard her say, she helped us take down one of the soldiers shooting at us a few minutes ago." Windy went on to say, "Plus, I trust Bryan's judgement. When we were friends back in school, they usually picked the right crowd to hang around with. I'm more than certain that knack carried over into this world."

"Makes sense." Colleen nodded, "We should still be careful, though."

"We always are." Ryan said proudly.

Jade looked at Sam again, and opened her mouth to speak.

"Did you... shoot at all? At us?" Jade asked, "Genuinely asking, not trying to be a bitch."

"If you're willing to trust my word? I did not. The only living person I fired at was another soldier. I let the biters get his corpse. Aside from that, all I did was defend myself from the biters." Sam revealed.

Jade seemed surprised at the specifics of the revelation, but she just nodded.

"Alright then." Jade said.

She moved her hand away from her knife.

A full day had passed. Pidge and Matt stood inside an old church. Pidge dragged her fingers along the smooth wood bannisters.

"Religion was never my thing." Pidge spoke.

"No? I'm sure God would love to hear what you sound like when someone takes the last pizza slice." Matt joked.

"I don't think I'd be seeing God if that were the case." Pidge laughed a little at the remark, "Dad mentioned going to church when he was young. I'm glad he wasn't one of those parents to make us go just because it was part of his family."

"Ah, the gift of choice. Such a wonderful thing, is it not?" Matt said, leaning up on one of the pews.

"Sure is. Which is why it baffles me that you choose to be such a dork." Pidge winked at her brother.

"Oh, you little--!" Matt leapt up and playfully punched Pidge in the arm.

"That's it!" Pidge laughed, throwing a light punch back.

The two went at it for another minute play fighting, until both of them leaned back, tired.

"It's good to see you smiling again." Matt commented.

"It feels good." Pidge smiled again for emphasis, then looked down, "Last time I really smiled was with--"

"I'm sorry, am I interrupting?" An older, gruff man's voice spoke from the church's doorway.

Pidge and Matt both jumped up and grabbed their weapons. The man had several other people standing behind him.

"Hi there. Name's Henry." The man introduces, "Mind if my group and I rest here with you folks?"

Pidge and Matt exchanged a look of uncertainty.

A pair of legs ran through the thick area of trees in the vicinity of the boarding school. Bryan. They let out big huffs while pushing themself to run faster to avoid any walkers.

They ran past a tree, only for a walker that was behind it to grab them by the hair.

"AAH!" Bryan screamed as the walker pulled them down.

They rolled out of its path, and pulled out their knife, before they got on all fours. Using all the strength they had left, they crawled over to the walker on the ground, and drove their knife straight through its eye.

The sound of a clicking gun from behind them makes them freeze.

"Put your hands up!" A familiar girl's voice ordered.

"Audrey, relax." An adult male's voice demanded.

"...Sorry." Audrey said in a more resigned tone.

Bryan turned around. He was face to face with Audrey, George, Jace, and Max. As soon as their eyes met, Audrey gasped and lowered her gun.

"B-Bryan?!" Max exclaimed, shocked.

"We didn't recognize you at first. Sorry we pointed a gun at you." Jace apologized, a sheepish grin on his face.

"It's so good to finally see you again!" Audrey wrapped her arms around them, beaming wide.

"Good to see you, too." Bryan smiled, "I know I don't look too good. I've been running for maybe... fifteen minutes?"

"What happened?" George asked.

"My dad happened. He attacked, and people died... on both sides." Bryan explained, "I... saw my mom's body."

"Deborah's DEAD?!" Jace yelled in surprise.

"I don't know who did it, but... she was shot. Right in the head. I tried to get her to stop the fight before it could start. It didn't work." Bryan's eyes began to well up.

"I know she wasn't the nicest, but I'm sorry about her." Max offered.

"Did you see Sam at all?" Jace suddenly asked, "When we left, Sam stayed behind. She said we needed an inside person. We figured we'd try and head to the school ourselves."

"Yes! I helped her get away from some walkers, and... that's when I got separated. She's most likely with some people from the school." Bryan explained, stumbling over their words a little.

"Thank god she's okay." Audrey placed a hand on her chest.

"I need help, guys. I need you to help me find the rest of that group. We were all split up during the attack. Lorenzo's out there, Sam's out there... please?"

George nodded in understanding.

"Of course we're going to help. That's the whole reason we came out here." George said.

"And to get away from your batshit crazy dad." Audrey tacked on.

"So, anywhere specific we should go?" George asked.

Bryan looked around, then nodded and pointed.

"The road leading to the school runs this way. If we head right, we should reach a main road eventually." Bryan explained.

"Sounds like a plan." George smiled, "Let's get going."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi colleen how was your time in the void


End file.
